Spring Fling
by zoomthemaster
Summary: Quinn is forced to spend her Spring Break at an art camp, where she meets a feisty Latina. Will this Spring Fling turn into something more? Mostly AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Quinn's POV:**

Ugh. Art camp. Not that I don't like art, I do, it's just that I'd rather be spending my Spring Break at home, not at some art camp. But my mom made me-she didn't want me to sit around all day doing nothing. I begged her to not sign me up, promising I'd do something more productive over break, but she didn't buy it. Now here I am, sitting on a bus going towards Lima, Ohio. I mean, Lima, really? I didn't get why my mom would send me to some art camp in the middle of nowhere, when there were perfectly good art camps in Iowa, but who gets moms anyways? Besides, it was only a 2-hour bus ride from home, and the camp was cheaper in Ohio. Apparently, it also had better teachers than back at home in Iowa.

"Next stop: Project SmARTs in Lima, Ohio," the bus driver announced. I rolled my eyes at the art camp's name and stood up, pulling my suitcase behind me as I walked toward the front of the bus. Looking out the window, I saw a plain white building sitting on a stretch of open land. Its roofs were painted red-orange and it sparkled under the afternoon sun. Behind the building was a large, crystal-blue lake, surrounded by patches of pine trees and blades of grass. I reluctantly admitted that the camp looked prettier than I thought. Just the view from the bus window would make the perfect painting. The way the sun hit the roofs and casted shadows upon the white walls of the building was beautiful. Maybe later I could come out here and paint this view. Still, I refused to enjoy this camp. There was no way I would let my mom know that she was right.

As the bus stopped, I thanked the driver and walked slowly toward the camp. It was a quarter after one, and I was supposed to arrive at 2 P.M. for orientation, so I figured I had time to spare. I followed a trail that led up to a sign that read, "Orientation for Project SmARTs in the Main Gym." Looking up, I spotted a tall room to the left side of the main building that was obviously the gym. Rolling my suitcase behind me, I entered it, finding a large open room with bleachers on each of the four sides. The floor was painted to look like a basketball court, but I couldn't see any basketball hoops. The words "Project SmARTs" were painted along one of the walls above the bleachers in blue and silver. The room was empty, but I figured it was because I was so early.

"Hi, you must be here for orientation for Project SmARTs?" a voice interrupted my thoughts. I snapped back into reality.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I am," I replied to the lady who had spoken to me. She was sitting at a table to my left, facing the doorway. I had totally missed it coming in. "Sorry, I didn't see you." I tried for my best innocent smile and went over to the table.

"No problems, sweetie. What's your name?" she asked.

"Quinn. Quinn Fabray," I answered. The lady looked down at the papers in front of her and highlighted my name. She handed me a couple sheets of paper, too.

"Well, welcome to Project SmARTs, Quinn. You are actually the only person from out of town in this spring camp."

I groaned. The lady chuckled.

"Don't worry, sweetie. People from Lima are pretty nice, you'll see. Anyways, I need you to write your name on this sticker and stick to your suitcase. It will be delivered to your cabin, so you can just leave it here." I did as she told me and handed my black suitcase over to her. She set it on a cart and sat back down on her seat, smiling up at me. "Orientation starts at 2, so you have some time till then. You can sit on the bleachers and wait, or you can go outside and walk around a bit. Whatever you want, sweetie."

"Ok. I'll go outside and come back. Thanks!" I waved to her as I walked out of the gym. She waved back.

Outside, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and sent my mom a text letting her know I had arrived safely. The air was warm and humid, but the wind made it cold. Shivering, I pulled my jean jacket closer to my body and sat on a bench under the sun, trying my best to warm up. I played some games on my phone, checked my Facebook and Instagram, and started texting some friends back home. I yawned, bored. I knew it was going to be a long Spring Break.

Looking down, I read some of the papers the lady had given to me. They talked about rules and consequences and what Project SmARTs was about. Apparently, the camp was divided into 4 teams: the artists, the dancers, the actors, and the musicians. Of course, I was in the art team. Throughout the week, we were going to be learning about either art, dance, acting, or music, and at the end, we were going to have a showcase, showing off our best work. There were going to be professional judges and scouts there, and the top 3 winners from each of the teams would compete against each other for two $5,000 dollar scholarships. Reading that bit caught my eye. Maybe that was why my mom sent me here. I had never been to an art competition before. This would be a good experience for me. Maybe this art camp won't be as bad as I thought...

The sounds of other people talking and suitcases being rolled on the ground awoke me from my thoughts. I looked at my phone. It was almost two.

Standing up, I heaved a sigh. Time to start the boredom. I walked past a large group of kids, keeping my eyes on the ground. They were obviously from Lima and knew each other, so I didn't bother trying to talk to them. Back home, I was the HBIC of my school, but around people I didn't know, my inner Lucy came out and I became pretty shy.

"Hey, who's she?" I heard some guy whisper.

"I don't know, but she's hot," some other guy whistled. The entire group laughed and I felt myself blushing. I rolled my eyes at the comment, but I pretended not to notice them as I walked into the gym. Inside, there were more groups of kids standing around, all from Lima. I hadn't expected this many people to be here. They all looked like high schoolers, and they were scattered all over the place: along the gym floor, outside, and among the bleachers.

A bell rang, signaling the start of the orientation. I made my way to one side of the bleachers, trying to find a seat before they all filled up. I found a a seat about halfway up the north side of the gym. Sitting down, I noticed a pretty brunette on my right. She was busily talking to another blonde next to her. She had long, black hair and tan skin. Her shorts showed off her long, toned legs that made me want to-

Wait, what? I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. Was it getting hot in here?

But before I could dwell any longer on my thoughts, the crowd had settled and the lady that had first greeted me was standing in the center of the gym.

"Welcome!" she said into her microphone, making sure to address all four sides of the gym. "Welcome to another year at Project SmARTs!" The crowd cheered loudly. I just sat there and kept to myself. I didn't catch the rest of what the lady was saying because I was too busy staring at the beautiful Latina next to me. Seriously, she was so pretty. I couldn't take my eyes off her. The Latina had linked pinkies with the girl on her other side. Oddly, I felt a little jealous of the other blonde next to her, but I quickly pushed those thoughts away. I pretended to listen to the lady talking while I kept stealing glances at the Latina beauty. Wait, why am I acting like this? I'm not even...

Suddenly, the girl stopped talking to her friend and turned around to stare at me. She looked at me straight in the eyes, and I noticed how warm her chocolate brown eyes were. Then I realized she must have caught me staring at her, and I blushed under her intense gaze, looking down at my lap. She continued to study me for a minute, and I felt myself growing hotter and hotter with every second that passed. Finally, she turned around and continued her conversation with her friend. I let out a breath that I hadn't noticed I had been holding. I took another deep breath, trying to calm my beating heart. What was this girl doing to me?

"All right guys! Outside you will meet your counselors and your cabin leaders for this spring! Artists to the right, then Dancers, then Actors, and Musicians to the left! Go!" The lady ran out the door, trying to escape the stampede that was already forming. I stayed back in my seat, watching the crowd trying to squeeze through the double doors. I rolled my eyes. It seemed like I'd be sitting for awhile before the crowd thinned out.

The two girls next to me seemed to be thinking the same thing. They continued talking while everyone else scrambled out of their seats, trying to be the first ones out the door. After a few minutes, the Latina turned around and stared at me again. I tried to look anywhere but at her, embarrassed at how she was staring at me. Finally, the girl noticed how red I was turning and she decided to break the ice.

"So, you're new?" the brunette asked. I turned my head towards her, getting lost in her mocha eyes, and nodded.

"How'd you know?" I wondered.

"Well, Lima is pretty small. I know most of the people here, and I would definitely have gotten to know a pretty girl like you if you lived here," the brunette said with a shrug of her shoulders. I blushed at her compliment, but the girl didn't seem to notice. She continued talking.

"I'm Santana. This is Brittany," the Latina pointed to the other blonde whose pinkies she had linked with. Brittany smiled.

"Quinn," I smiled back and nodded at the two girls.

"So, Quinn, where you from?" Brittany asked.

"Iowa."

"Iowa? That's random," Santana smirked. I just shrugged.

"So Quinn, what are you? An actress? You look pretty enough to be one," Santana winked. I felt myself growing hot at her flirting. My heart raced and my palms felt sweaty. I kind of liked how flirty how Santana was.

Wait, what? Did I kind of like Santana? No, I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts...Ugh. Shaking myself free of my confusing thoughts, I smiled at Santana.

"Thanks, but no, I'm an artist," I winked back at Santana. I just couldn't help it. That girl was something special.

Santana's eyes lit up at my response. "Me too! Brittany here is a dancer, though." Brittany nodded and smiled. She looked down.

"Hey Sannie, there's barely anyone now. Let's go!" Brittany grabbed Santana's hand and pulled her down the bleachers. "Coming, Quinn?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah," I smiled. I was glad to have made friends so fast. I had expected this break to be as boring as shit. But with Santana and Brittany, my Spring Break looked pretty bright. Especially that Santana girl...

Santana, Brittany, and I exited the gym. Outside, the sun was hot and bright, totally opposite the cold, damp gym we were just in. I followed Santana and Brittany to where the other campers were waiting. Santana kissed Brittany's cheek as Brittany left to go to the Dancers group. As I watched them, I immediately felt jealous of Brittany, which was weird since I barely knew Santana and I wasn't into girls, anyway. Or was I? It was all so confusing, so I just decided to ignore my feelings. Now wasn't the time.

"What?" Santana asked. She was looking at me with a questioning look on her face. I realized that she had caught me staring at her. Again.

"Oh, nothing," I shrugged it off. She nodded and we walked together toward the Artist group. The counselor was already saying something.

"Hey guys! Welcome to Project SmARTs! My name is Riley, and I'll be your Artist counselor this spring! We have a huge group this year, so let's get started. We have 8 cabin leaders: Ivan, James, Julia, Taylor, Lucinda, Christine, Courtney, and Selena. Each cabin has 5 rooms: 3 bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. There will be two people per room, so a total of 6 per cabin. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is served in the cafeteria, and there's a 24 hour ice cream and pizza bar in there." There were many cheers at this revelation. Santana and I shared a knowing smile. Riley kept going. "Girls will bunk with girls, and guys with guys, obviously. Curfew is 10:30, no exceptions. Classes are everyday starting Monday, which is tomorrow, from 9-12. Then a one-hour lunch break. Then more classes from 1-4. The rest of the day is yours. We've got a lake out in the back, too. Okay, so those are the ground rules. Now, let's break you off into your cabins..."

The cabin leaders started naming off people from their lists. The first two cabins were all-boys. I was surprised that so many guys actually showed up to an art camp like this. But then again, Lima itself was a surprise.

Julia, the third cabin leader, stepped forward and starting listing off her names.

"Tina, Madison, Santana, Safa, Quinn, and Reena!" Santana turned and beamed at me when she heard both of our names. She gave me a high five.

"Awesome! You and me are tots bunking together," Santana said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Did you just say 'tots'?"

"Hell yeah I did!"

I just rolled my eyes and laughed at her, liking Santana more and more. I turned and followed the rest of my cabin members. Julia walked us to a place behind the main building, where a row of 8 cabins were neatly lined up. Next to the Artists' row were the Dancer, Actor, and Musician rows. Each row was made up of 8 cabins, but each cabin was decorated differently. My cabin had a huge number 3 on the door and its wooden walls were all splashed with many colors of neon paint. Before we entered the cabin, Julia turned around and looked at us.

"Alright, guys. We're Cabin 3. Our cabin colors are black and neon green. The paint on our cabin glows in the dark at night," Julia said. There were a few oohs and aahs from the other cabin members. "Alright guys, now you have to pick who you want to room with."

At these words, Santana was immediately by my side. Tina and Safa teamed up, while Madison and Reena gave each other a high five. Julia nodded. "Alright," my cabin leader said. "I'll leave you guys to get settled. Your suitcases are in the living room!" And then she left, walking back towards the gym.

Tina opened the door and the rest of us followed. We were first met with a neat sight of the living room. The walls of the cabin were made of mahogany wood, and all the furniture was neatly set up. There 2 long, black couches and a neon green, widescreen TV was mounted on the wall. A coffee table was set between the two couches, and a couple of beanbags were pushed towards one corner of the room. On one side of the walls, three doors leading to the bedrooms stood. Opposite them was the bathroom door. Our suitcases were all lying on the couches, neatly stacked with our names showing. I had to admit, this was way cooler than I expected.

Santana and I were the first ones to get our luggage, and we chose the bedroom closest to the front door. The bedroom was even cooler. There were two black medium-sized beds with neon green blankets and pillows. Beside each bed was a wooden nightstand and a lamp. There was one window opposite the door, with black and neon green striped curtains. A dresser and a mirror were pushed underneath the window.

Santana flopped down on the bed closest to the door. "Isn't this exciting?" she exclaimed.

I watched as she sat up and peeled off her shirt, revealing a tank top underneath. Her tanned, fit arms and exposed collarbone made my mouth dry. I stared at her long beautiful legs that were stretched out across the bed. Oh...those legs...

Shaking myself free of my thoughts, I snapped back to reality. "Yes," I said, answering Santana's question. "Yes, it is." Santana looked at me excitedly with her huge, chocolate eyes that made me melt.

_This was going to be interesting._

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, I will be updating "California Gurls" very soon, as well as this one! Thanks for everything!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Is it like winter in Iowa or what?" Santana smirked as she glanced at the inside of my suitcase, which was open and on top of my bed. We had just finished unpacking Santana's stuff, and now we were working on mine. I had to admit, Santana had really good taste in clothes. I could tell she came from a rich family. Half her suitcase was full of makeup products, while the other half was stuffed with name-brand shorts, dresses, and tops. She even had Ray Bans, something I had wanted my entire life. I, on the other hand, didn't own any expensive clothing. My father had left when I was a baby, and my mother sometimes struggled being a single mother. Especially with my older sister in college, money was always tight. My mother only bought me clothes from local thrift shops, and I always had to alter them to fit my style.

Santana held up one of my sweatshirts.

"Really? A sweatshirt?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. "It's spring. Frickin' spring. Like, the season before summer." Santana rolled her eyes.

I blushed. "Well, it's not like I know what Ohio is like in the spring," I said, defending myself, raising both of my hands up. "And spring comes after winter."

Santana laughed at my comeback. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Her voice was like a bell, sweet and crisp, yet raspy at the same time. It was pure music to my ears.

"It's nice, though. Where'd you get it?" Santana looked curiously at the front prints, which I had ironed on.

"I got the sweatshirt from a place in Iowa, but I made the prints myself," I said proudly.

"Nice." Santana nodded approvingly and started helping me unpack my suitcase. Fortunately, that was the only sweatshirt I had brought to Lima. I had thrown it in there just in case it was cold in Ohio. I mean, who knew, right? Weather was always a bitch. But the rest of my suitcase was full of spring attire: shorts, shirts, skirts, and dresses. Of course, they were nowhere Santana's clothes in quality, but Santana seemed to be interested in all the changes I had made to them. The studs or bows that I'd glue on, the cutouts and prints, things like that. I kept catching myself staring at her as she helped me put my clothes away. She was breathtakingly beautiful. The way she swayed her hips...

Wait, friends can think that, right? Totally platonic thing to do...

"Watcha thinking?" Santana asked as she folded one of my shirts and tucked it into the top drawer of the dresser.

"Hmm? Oh nothing," I said, feeling myself grow hotter. Santana studied my face for a second, smirked, and then continued stuffing clothes in the drawers. Trying to act nonchalant, I took my own makeup and set it next to Santana's on top of the dresser. At the same time, Santana reached for her lip gloss and accidently brushed her hand over mine. Her touch felt like electricity. I immediately pulled my hand back, muttering an awkward, "Sorry," as I tried to collect my cool. Santana just smiled and gave me a wink, which sent my heart flying and the butterflies in my stomach tingling.

Gods, what was happening to me?

After we finished unpacking, Santana and I left our room to go to the living room. We found the rest of our cabin mates spread out over the couches, watching TV.

"Ew, _Keeping Up with the Kardashians_? Seriously?" Santana wrinkled her nose in disgust. Everyone turned around to look at her.

"There's nothing else on," Reena shrugged.

"Shut up, Reena. We all know you lo-ove Kim Kardashian," Safa deadpanned. She then turned to me and gave me a once-over. I immediately felt self-conscious. "Who are you?"

"This is Quinn," Santana responded for me. "Quinn, this is Reena, Tina, Madison, and Safa." I nodded to each one of the girls as Santana pointed them out to me.

"Never seen you before, Quinn," Madison commented.

"I'm from Iowa," I explained. The rest of the girls nodded in understanding.

"So, what grade are you in?" Madison continued.

"12."

"Me too!" Santana grinned and gave me a high five.

"Lucky! I'm a junior. Hardest year ever," Tina rolled her eyes. I chuckled. But before anyone could say anything more, there was a knock on the cabin door. Being the closest to the door, I opened it and found Julia standing there.

"Hey!" she greeted me. She walked into the cabin so that she could see everyone. "Have you guys all unpacked?"

All the girls nodded, including me.

"Awesome! It's time to start the tour. Follow me," Julia gestured for us to come quickly.

Outside, Julia showed us around the entire area of Project SmARTs. The cabins were right behind the main building and the gym, but right before the cafeteria and the lake.

"The main building is where you'll be taking your classes," Julia explained. "You guys have two classes a day, 3 hours a class. Since you guys are artists, your first class is Art. But you can do anything you want for your second class. You can do a second art class, maybe acting, whatever you want. It's your choice." There were a few whoops of joy at this, and Julia chuckled.

Santana leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I heard they have a go-go dancing class. We should tots do that. It'd be hot." I could feel my center tingling, but I laughed nervously to cover up my blush. Santana laughed, too, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"Alright, guys, here are the schedules and room numbers. For your second class, you can drop into any room at any time, so feel free to leave in the middle of class if you don't like it and join a different one. Project SmARTs is all about finding your passion, what you're good at. But it's also about trying new things. Don't let change scare you," Julia said as she passed out the schedules. "Breakfast is from 7-9, lunch from 12-1, and dinner is 6-8. Don't be late or there won't be any food." Julia then walked us towards the cafeteria, where another group of people were having a tour. The tour leader was wearing a shirt that read "Project SmARTs: Dancers."

"Hey Brittany!" Santana shouted excitedly as we passed by. Brittany looked around and waved, blowing Santana a kiss, before focusing back on her cabinmates. I felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the blown kiss, but I pushed it away. I had no right to be jealous. Besides, it wasn't like I liked Santana that way, right? Well...

"You okay, Quinn?" Santana tilted her head to look at me, disrupting my thoughts.

"Uh...yeah, I'm fine," I replied, trying to look non-suspicious.

"Uh-huh, sure...I saw you turning red back there," Santana smirked.

Wait, what? She saw me getting jealous? No, that wasn't possible. I'm usually good at hiding my emotions. Maybe she was just playing with me. Right?

"Psh, yeah right," I rolled my eyes, trying to play it cool.

"Okay..." Santana said, but I could tell she didn't want to let it go. We followed Julia and our cabinmates throughout the rest of the tour in silence.

When the tour was over, it was already dinner time. Santana whipped out her phone and texted Brittany, who appeared a minute later. Together, we went into the cafeteria to get dinner. Inside, the walls were silver, with two horizontal blue stripes that ran along all four walls. The ceiling was high and was painted to look like the night sky. It reminded me of the Great Hall in Hogwarts. All along one of the walls were a bunch of stands handing out food. Tables littered the whole ground, ranging from tables of two to ones that seated over twenty. Fortunately, the lines weren't that long, so we got our food quickly and went to sit down at one of the larger tables. It was already almost filled.

"Hey Santana, Brittany, and you are...?" one of the guys nodded towards me. I recognized him as the guy who called me hot earlier that day.

"Quinn," I nodded back at him. He smirked and gave me a wink.

"So, Quinn, are you from Tennessee? Cuz you're the only ten I see," the boy laughed at his own joke, as well as did most of the table. I just blushed mildly and joined in the laughing. The boy had a mohawk, and his muscles bulged under his tight black tank top.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Puckerman. Quinn would never wanna do you."

"No one can resist these guns," Puck said, showing off his biceps. Again, the table laughed at his cockiness.

Santana just sighed. "Well, Quinn, these are my friends," she rolled her eyes. "I think." Brittany and I laughed at her little afterthought.

"Frankenteen, Lady Hummel, Hobbit, Wheezy, Wheels, Warbler, Trouty Mouth, Boy Chang, and you already know Puck and Tina," Santana gestured around the table. Everyone just rolled their eyes at Santana, who seemed ignorant that she had just used their nicknames to introduce them to Quinn.

"Actually, Santana, we prefer to go by our actual names," one of the girls spoke up. She was a short brunette and was wearing the weirdest outfit I had ever seen. "This is Finn, Kurt, I'm Rachel, Mercedes, Artie, Blaine, Sam, and Mike." I nodded politely to each person and gave them a small smile.

"So, where exactly did you come from? It mustn't have been too far, I mean, Lima is pretty small, and you wouldn't travel so far to come to Ohio, so you must be nearby. Actually, I know someone who's from..." the girl continued to blab on. I gave Santana a questioning look. Santana just rolled her eyes and mouthed, "_She never shuts up."_

"Iowa, Hobbit, she's from Iowa," Santana finally cut in when Rachel started becoming annoying.

"Oh? Iowa? I've heard about it before. How far away is it? Is it true that you guys are all farmers and grow corn?" Rachel asked.

I rolled my eyes at the Iowan stereotypes. "I live about a two-hour bus drive from here. And no, I actually come from the city."

"Can I just say, I absolutely _adore_ your outfit!" Kurt cut in. I looked down. I was wearing a jean jacket over a white tank top and shorts that I had made from old pants. I had glued golden studs on the pockets of the jean jacket and my shorts. For my tank top, I had used a black fabric marker to draw some tribal prints in the center of the top.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"You must be an Artist," Kurt guessed.

"How'd you know?" I asked, surprised.

"Your tank top. I can tell its handmade, very nice," Kurt nodded. I blushed at his compliment.

"Thank you," I said again. "So what are you?"

"I'm an Artist, too, though I prefer fashion and clothes. Finn and Rachel here are Actors, and Artie is a director, so he was put in the Actors team. Mike and Brittany are Dancers. Puck, Blaine, Mercedes, and Sam are singers, so they're part of the Musicians team," Kurt explained. I nodded at the new info.

"That's cool...So, how do you guys know each other?" I wondered.

"We're part of the Glee Club at McKinley High," Sam clarified. "Our coach sends us here every year to help us train."

"We practically rule this place. I've won one of the scholarships for the past three years. Of course, I expected to. I mean, I have natural talent. But this camp has helped me improve, and I do hope one of my fellow Glee Club members wins one too this year," Rachel jutted her chest out in pride. Santana snickered and a couple of the Glee Club members rolled their eyes, but Rachel didn't seem to notice. I just smiled politely, not exactly too sure of how I felt about Rachel's pompous attitude.

"So, Quinn, how are you liking Lima?" Blaine asked.

I glanced at Santana before answering. "Well, it's nice, I guess."

Santana looked at me and quirked her eyebrow, but I ignored it.

"Hey guys, we have the whole evening free. After dinner, do you guys wanna go swim in the lake?" Puck asked. Everyone nodded their heads.

"Quinn, wanna join us?" Santana asked, her eyes hopeful.

"Sure," I smiled, glad to be included.

After that, we finished our dinner quickly. Everyone said a hasty goodbye as they raced back to their cabins to get changed into their swimsuits.

Brittany pulled Santana into a hug that lasted way too long in my opinion before departing. I then followed Santana to Cabin 3.

Inside, we entered our room and pulled our bikinis on. I kept glancing at Santana as she changed into her two piece. It was bright red, which accented her tan skin. I licked my lips as she took her shirt off, showing her flat, toned abs. My eyes travelled down her entire body, to her long legs and that ass that just begged for attention.

"Like what you see?" Santana smirked.

"Wha-? Oh um..." I awkwardly turned away, embarrassed to have been caught checking her out. Santana smirked again. Trying to ignore the hot body that was barely a few feet away from me, I changed into my light green bikini that matched my hazel eyes. It was my favorite swimsuit, and my mom had bought it on sale a year ago.

I caught Santana raking her eyes over my body, too, and I smirked, my HBIC attitude showing. I sashayed my hips a little more as I grabbed a towel from the dresser. Santana didn't even seem embarrassed to have been caught; she just kept staring at me hungrily.

"You're hot," she stated simply.

"Um...thanks?" I blushed.

Santana grinned, grabbed a towel, and took my hand, leading me out of the cabin and towards the lake. By the time we had arrived, night was beginning to fall. There was a warm wind that blew gently, and the sun had just dipped beneath the horizon. Most of the Glee kids were already there, laying their towels on the grass and chatting. Some people had brought lanterns and were setting them around the lake, illuminating it in a bright yellow light. Santana laid her towel down next to Brittany's, and I laid mine next to Santana's.

"Hey guys!" Puck called out. "Look what I brought!" The Glee kids gathered around him as he pulled a something out of his bag. I gasped when I saw what he was holding in his hand.

"You brought…beer?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why? Got a problem with it?" Puck challenged. Not wanting to feel left out, I put on my best HBIC face and smirked.

"Not at all," I winked. But inside, I felt nervous. Alcohol was my worst enemy. My dad had left my family because of his alcohol addiction, and I had never forgiven him for that.

"Awesome!" Puck pumped his fist and started handing out the cans. Reluctantly, I took one to protect my image. I didn't want to look suspicious.

"Don't tell anybody, or I will get in trouble," Puck warned the whole group. Everyone nodded and promised to keep their mouths shut.

Once everyone had gotten a can, Santana, Brittany, and I sat down on our towels. Santana and Brittany chatted as they sipped their drinks. I listened, pretending to drink the beer. When no one was looking, I would pour some of the beer onto the ground to make it look like I had drank it. After a few more cans, Santana and Brittany were pretty tipsy. They kept eyeing each other and flirting, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Hey Quinn, don't look so mad, isn't this funnn?" Brittany slurred, nudging my arm.

"Yeah, Quinn, this is funnn," Santana agreed, giggling. She batted her eyelashes at me and gave me a wink as she patted my arm. I rolled my eyes at their silliness.

"Come on guys, let's actually swim!" I said, trying my best to sound upbeat. I pulled Santana and Brittany up and towards the edge of the lake.

"Aw shit, the water's cold," Santana whined.

"Are the ducks going to freeze?" Brittany asked worriedly. I gave her a questioning look, but decided to ignore her comment.

"Come on guys, everyone else is already in!" I said.

"Yeah, San! Jump in!" Puck called from the middle of the lake. "Or are you afraid?" he challenged, smirking.

"Hell no, I'm not afraid! Just watch!" And with that, Santana jumped into the lake, creating a huge splash. Brittany and I followed, and soon, everyone was swimming in the lake, splashing each other and having a good time.

The water felt cool against my bare legs. Sometimes, my foot would brush against the leaf of a plant, and I'd scream, which made everyone around me laugh. Then Puck came up with this totally-not-amazing game to see who could scare me the most. I knew it was a joke, so I laughed and played along. In order to escape my pretend attackers, I swam to the farthest edge of the lake, trying to hide myself from everyone. I found a little spot that was almost enclosed by plants, and gratefully swam into the isolated opening, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Tryna hide from them?" a voice next to me asked. I screamed in surprise and almost forgot how to swim, causing me to go underwater and choke. A laugh sounded out, and I saw a head of wet, brown hair come out from some of the plants. As I regained my composure, I looked into the chocolate brown eyes that I had come to love, and my fears went away.

"Shit, Santana, you scared the hell out of me. What are doing here?" I asked, trying to act annoyed. But deep down inside, I was glad to be alone with Santana. I liked being near her.

"Just thinking," Santana shrugged. She seemed to have sobered up a bit, her eyes were large and wide. Even with messy, wet hair, she looked beautiful under the evening light. The water glistened off her smooth skin, small droplets running down her face.

"About what?" I asked.

"Stuff." Santana obviously had her guard up, and I decided to not prod it.

"Oh," I said awkwardly. I swam into the opening, which was barely big enough for the two of us, but we managed to fit. I used some plants to cover the entrance. "And yeah, I'm hiding."

Santana smiled a crooked smile. "Having fun?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah tots, if being creeped on and getting scared is having fun."

Santana giggled.

"What?" I asked.

"You said tots," she said, poking me in the arm. I rolled my eyes.

"Looks like you're rubbing off on me," I deadpanned.

"Good," she smirked.

"Yeah right," I shot back, giving her a flirty smile. Santana laughed, throwing her head back, and almost lost her balance.

"Woah!" I said, grabbing her hip so that she stayed standing.

It was then that I noticed that Santana had never taken her hand off my arm. And for the first time, I also noticed how close we were. Santana's body was pressed right against mine. I bit back a moan as I felt Santana's breast rub against mine. The water was shallow; our feet melted into the soft sand below. Santana's hand lingered on my arm as she gazed up into my eyes. I gripped her hip harder, pulling her even closer. The wind rustled; it seemed to whisper in my ear, telling me what to do next. Slowly, I started to lean my head in. My breathing matched the rhythm of her chest rising and falling. As I got closer to her, I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the side, my heart racing. I could feel her hot breath on my lips. Just as I was about to close the distance between us, my lips met cold air. I opened my eyes to the sound of water splashing. Santana was already swimming out of the opening, more than 10 feet away. She was swimming as fast as she could, her back to me. I thought she wouldn't stop, but at the last minute, she did and she turned around.

In the darkness, my eyes met her mocha ones, trying to search for an answer. But they were heavily guarded. A cold gust of wind blew in between us as she whispered the most heart-breaking word I had ever heard:

"Sorry."

And then she swam away.

* * *

**A/N: Yesterday was my birthday! It would be the best bday gift ever if you followed/favorited/reviewed this story. Thanks guys!**

**"California Gurls" will be updated very soon! I promise!**

**Actors: Finn, Artie, and Rachel**

**Dancers: Mike and Brittany**

**Artists: Santana, Quinn, Tina, and Kurt**

**Musicians: Puck, Blaine, Mercedes, and Sam**


	3. Chapter 3

**Santana's POV:**

_God. I'm such an idiot. A stupid, fucking idiot._

"Hey, where you going? There's still an hour left till curfew," Brittany asked me as I swam towards the shore. I ignored her, trying to swim as fast as possible away from her. The rest of Glee kids were further out into the lake, still having fun and trying to find Quinn.

"Santana, you seen Quinn?" Puck called across the water. Just her name made my heart ache, and I tried my best to give a nonchalant shrug and shake my head.

"That's cool. Let's look over there, but be quiet! We're still tryna scare her," Finn warned. He led the group toward the deep end of the lake.

"Hey, wait!" Brittany called out again, swimming toward me and grabbing my wrist. I flinched at her touch; it didn't feel as soft as Quinn's. Turning around, I saw her face drop as she noticed my flinch, and I immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, Brittany," I said, trying to smile genuinely. "I'm just really tired. I'm gonna go to bed, but you should stay here with the others, 'kay?"

Brittany's piercing blue eyes saw right threw my lies, but she knew better than to talk to me when my guard was up. Brittany nodded, squeezed my hand, and then let me go. As I got out of the lake, I grabbed my towel and ran to Cabin 3. Fortunately, it was empty; most people were out enjoying their last night before classes. Running to my room, I changed out of my wet clothes and into my pajamas, wrapping my dripping hair in a green towel. I took out a box of cigarettes, one that I had hidden under all my underwear, so that no one could find it.

I only smoked when I really needed to calm down, and right now was one of those times. Sitting on an empty part of the dresser, I opened the window, letting the cool breeze brush against my cheek, my mouth inhaling and exhaling the thick fumes of smoke. Breathing deeply, I closed my eyes, the new memories coming back to me like knives to a wound.

I remembered how she looked. When she had first sat next to me at orientation earlier today, she looked gorgeous. A little bored and lonely, but absolutely breathtaking. So beautiful in fact, that I had to fight the urge to look at her, knowing that I'd probably do something stupid and embarrass myself. But when I did get a chance, I could barely take my eyes off her. I took in the gold-studded jean jacket that hugged her lean body and the tank top that revealed the slightest shadow of cleavage. Her lips looked soft and delicious; her hair was perfectly curled and oh so blonde, framing her jawbone and her perfect face. And her eyes. Those eyes. Hazel and gold and brown sparkles that exploded like fireworks in the sun. Long, curled lashes coated in mascara. I had only ever seen such beautiful hazel eyes once before in my entire life, and Quinn's eyes reminded me a lot of them.

Taking another drag on my cigarette, I let the memories wash over me again.

The first time Quinn had spoken it was like music to my ears. Her voice was sultry and deep, yet sweet and sugary at the same time. She could've been an amazing singer. For some reason, though, her voice sounded familiar, like a little bell ringing in the back of my mind.

When we were put in the same cabin, I couldn't have been any happier. It meant seeing that gorgeous face first thing in the morning and last thing at night. And as I got to know her better, I found myself staring at her more often, laughing too hard at her jokes, patting her on the shoulder as an excuse to touch her, to feel her warmth against the tips of my fingers. I felt myself change around her. I wanted to be a better person for her; I wanted to impress her. Of course, I hid my true feelings behind a wall of Snix, guarding my heart.

That wall wasn't helping, though. Instead, it felt like it was crushing my heart, that if I didn't do something about it, my heart could explode from everything I was feeling. In the lake, I made some lame excuse in order to get away from everyone else. I needed time to think. Finding that little opening in the lake was a stroke of luck, but it allowed me to think, to really let my feelings sink in. But when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Quinn. I saw myself holding her hand, taking her out to dinner, snuggling with her at night. I saw myself as her girlfriend, something I had never even thought about before. I just didn't do commitment or relationships; they were too hard to handle, but Quinn was making me change my mind. And that scared me. The fact that this girl, Quinn, could waltz into my life and steal my heart in just one day. I barely knew anything about her, and I yet felt something so powerful for her. So when she tried to kiss me, I freaked out and ran away. Well, swam away, but still, the effect this girl had on me was frightening. I wanted to fight it, to not let myself fall for her, because I knew I would probably never see her again after camp ended. And that scared me even more. I didn't want both of us to end up getting hurt.

I heard the cabin door open, disrupting my thoughts. Not wanting someone to catch me smoking, I quickly put out my cigarette and tossed it in the trash. I was in the middle of closing the window when the door to my room opened, and standing there was the last person on Earth I wanted to see.

"Quinn," I said simply. My mind was moving fast, but I couldn't find the right words to say. Quinn looked a little surprised to see me. Her eyes were wide, and I could see the slightest hint of red in them. Had she been crying? But the look of surprise on her countenance quickly vanished and was replaced with a look of anger and hurt. Quinn scanned the room, and took quick notice of my position and the half-open window. In one swift motion, she had crossed the room to her bedside where her suitcase lay. I still didn't know what to say, and so I could only watch foolishly as she grabbed a dry towel from her bag. Without looking at me, she stood and walked toward the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she abruptly stopped, but she didn't turn around.

With her back still facing me, she said, "I really don't like smoking."

Her words seemed to snap me out of my little daze. I jumped off the dresser.

"Quinn, wait!" I called out, running towards her. Fortunately, the room was small and it didn't take me long to run across it. I'd have to thank Coach Sue later for my amazing speed.

"Quinn!" I called out again. She was already halfway out the door, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back inside, slamming the door closed.

"What the hell! Don't touch me! You obviously don't like it when I'm close to you," Quinn huffed angrily. _Ouch, that hurt_. But I didn't let her words get to me. Not yet, not now. I pulled her towards my bed, making her sit down on the plump mattress. Sighing, I sat next to her, not letting go of her hand. I was so nervous, my eyes flitting everywhere except to her face.

"Look, Quinn, we need to talk," I started. Well, here goes. "Today has been...something else. I mean, you happened."

Quinn snorted; there was still anger visible in her red eyes. "Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?"

I mentally slapped myself. This was going all wrong, and it was all my fault. But I couldn't back out of it now. Sighing, I tried again. "What I mean is, when I first saw you, I couldn't stop staring. How could I not stare at a girl as beautiful as you?"

Quinn blushed, and I could tell she was forcing herself to stay angry.

"And this entire day, all I've been thinking about is you," I continued. "The way you smile and laugh, the way you run your fingers through your hair. I wish I was the one running my fingers through your hair..."

"But?" Quinn asked. I looked her, confused.

"What do you mean but?"

Quinn sighed. "The first time I saw you, I felt the same. And you kept flirting with me, so I flirted back. And I liked it. I thought we might've had something, and I thought maybe you might've felt something for me, even the slightest something. But then, at the lake...you...you rejected me. Why?"

Licking my lips nervously, I stared down at my lap. This was it. "It's just...it's only been a day, you know? I don't even know you. It just scared me that I was falling for you so easily. I don't do relationships, and I was scared because I thought maybe I'd want to try being with you. But you're from fucking Iowa, and I live here in Lima. I just...I didn't want this to be some spring fling, you know? We're never gonna see each other after this, and I didn't want anything too serious to happen. So I had to stop it before it got worse."

Quinn sighed, taking in all that I had to say. She stayed quiet for a very long time, letting everything sink in. I was afraid that she was angry, and I so a stole a glance at her to check. Bracing myself for the worst, my eyes travelled up her body to her face. She didn't look angry anymore, and I breathed a small sigh of relief, but I could see the gears turning in her mind. Taking a closer look, I studied her eyes. They were still the same beautiful hazel, like always, but they were clouded with bits of brown. The whites of her eyes were contaminated with red veins, as if she had been crying. Small droplets of water clung to her long lashes, and her entire eye shone with tears, blurring her eyes in a shiny layer.

And then, in the back of my brain, something clicked. I had seen those eyes before.

"Ohmigod," I whispered, my eyes wide.

"What?" Quinn turned toward me, so that I could see both of her eyes. They were the exact same as what I had remembered.

"Ohmigod," I said again, breathing heavily. "Quinn, what's your last name?"

"Fabray," she said hesitantly, confused at my words.

"Fabray," I repeated, rolling the name over my tongue. And then a lightbulb went on inside of me. I gasped. It was her.

"Quinn, don't you remember?" I asked.

"Remember what?" Quinn wrinkled her eyebrows, still confused.

* * *

_It was a beautiful, summer day in Iowa. The sun was shining brightly, and there was a slight wind that drifted among the trees of the park. Santana was sitting at one of those picnic tables, the wood ones with the benches attached to both sides. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, with black high tops, and she felt like the coolest 10-year-old on the planet. Her mom had gotten those shoes for her a month ago, on her tenth birthday, and she had worn them almost every day. It was her favorite gift in the world. Santana sat at the table with her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands, bored._

_"Santana, come over her and help us," Santana's mom called from the car, which was only parked a few steps away. Santana sighed, but went over to the trunk to help her mom and dad take out the food. This was their last day visiting their relatives in Iowa, and so to celebrate, they decided to have a big family picnic in the park._

_"Mami, why is no one here yet?" Santana asked, stumbling a little as she tried to carry a huge basket of aluminum-wrapped burritos to the picnic table._

_"They'll be here soon," her mom reassured her._

_"Are you sure?" Santana asked._

_"Abuelo said they'll be here in five minutes, mija," Santana's dad ruffled her hair as he helped her set up the food. Santana pouted and fixed her hair back to its original perfect state._

_"Papi, don't do that!" she whined playfully, a hint of a smile on her face._

_"Oh Santana, I know you like it!" Santana's dad teased. And without warning, he picked up Santana and swooped her up and over his shoulder, running across the field. Santana laughed and yelled and kicked her legs, but her dad had too strong of a grip on her. He set her down on the grass gently and began tickling her._

_"Stop it, Papi!" she giggled, squirming as she tried to resist laughing._

_"Say you like it, mija," her dad said sternly, but he couldn't help but smile at Santana's cuteness. He continued teasing and tickling his daughter until she was in a fit of hysterics._

_"Okay, fine! I like it," Santana grumbled. She didn't like to lose, but she loved her Papi so much that sometimes she let him win. Back at the picnic table, Santana's mom just laughed and shook her head at the two's immatureness, and continued setting up the table._

_Meanwhile, at the corner of the park, half hidden by a group of trees, 10-year-old Quinn sat on the grass, watching the mysterious Latina wrestle with her dad. She had never seen the brunette before, but she was already jealous of the Latina's relationship with her dad. Quinn's dad, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Cold, hard, mean, cruel. Of course, he hadn't always been like that. Years ago, he had been like that brunette's dad: loving and caring. Quinn remembered going to baseball games with him and eating hot dogs. If he was ever away on a business trip, he'd buy tons of souvenirs for Quinn. When Quinn was four, he even bought her a puppy. But that was years ago, before the drinking happened. Now, Quinn's father was rarely seen without a bottle of alcohol in hand. His hazel eyes, which he had passed on to Quinn, were once filled with genuine love and passion and curiosity. Now they were stone cold, just two empty sockets on his face, glazed over and distant. His head, which once sported a full head of hair, was now almost bald, with small tuffs of hair here and there. His once clean-shaven face was now full of whiskers, and when he walked, he dragged his feet and dangled his arms. He smelled strongly of alcohol, and he had gained weight. But most importantly, his heart had hardened. He was a changed man, and not in a good way._

_The drinking had started when Quinn was six, and four years later, it had not gone away. Not once. Quinn's mom had tried to get him to quit, but when he threatened her, she immediately stopped. He towered over her, spewing drunken shouts from his dirty mouth. Quinn had even caught him hitting her, though Quinn's mom always denied it. Quinn had practically grown up on her own, trying to escape the drama of her home life. Her father scared her, and her mother couldn't help her, so the park next to her house was her only sanctuary. It was the only place where she could let loose and be herself, let her thoughts run free. Even at school, she was too shy to make friends, so she mainly kept to herself. It wasn't like anyone wanted to be her friend, anyways. She was fat and ugly. She wore glasses, had braces, and was always picked last in P.E. Everyone called her "Lucy Caboosey" and no one liked her. No, school and home were her two least favorite places. At least at the park, no one would judge her or tease her or call her names. No one would scream at her drunkenly or threaten her. The park was her safe haven. She wasn't "Lucy Caboosey" at the park. She was Quinn._

_Watching the brunette play with her dad brought up bitter feelings inside Quinn. She felt envious of the Latina, but also a little curious. Who was this mysterious girl? Did she maybe want to be her friend? Did she go to the same school as Quinn? Quinn badly wanted to meet his girl, so she stood up from her shaded spot and walked into the sun. Unfortunately, the park was huge, and Quinn had to take frequent breaks to catch her breath. She was halfway to the Latina when she heard a voice that made her heart stop._

_"Lucy." The voice was stern, and immediately, Quinn tensed up. She knew who it was. Turning around, she watched her dad swagger towards her, obviously very drunk and uncoordinated. Quinn already felt intimidated, and she dropped her head in nervousness._

_"What are you doing here, Lucy?" her dad spat. Quinn knew better than to answer, so she shook her head and shrugged._

_"What do you mean, you don't know? Surely, you came here for a reason," her dad sneered. His voice was low and quiet, which was scarier than when he was shouting at full volume. Quinn's dad's eyes were filled with rage, the alcohol blinding his ability to think properly. He stood very close to Quinn, his breath filling Quinn's nostrils with the horrible scent of alcohol._

_"To relax," Quinn said in a timid voice. She felt small compared to her dad, who towered several feet over her._

_"And are you allowed to come here?" he asked in a louder voice. Quinn shook her head no, her heart racing a mile a minute. Quinn could already feel her eyes tearing up, but she forced herself not to cry. She wouldn't let her dad know that she was weak. No, she had to be strong. If not for her, then at least for her mom._

_"Then if you're not allowed to come here, why are you here?" Quinn's dad repeated. Quinn felt herself shrinking smaller and smaller. Not thinking of any good answers, she shrugged her shoulders again._

_"Answer me!" Quinn's dad was shouting now, his rage filling him up completely. "Answer me, Lucy, what are you doing here?" Bits of his spit hit Quinn's face, and she flinched. But she stayed still, looking down at the ground, too scared to meet his eyes._

_Quinn's dad was losing his patience. "God damn it, Lucy! You know you're not allowed to come here without permission, so why are you here? Answer me!" But Quinn stayed silent again._

_Quinn's dad's hand clenched into a fist, as if he were reaching for his bottle. But there was no bottle in his hand. When he realized this, he seemed to grow even angrier, his face turning as red as a tomato. "ANSWER ME!" he bellowed at his daughter._

_Quinn was openly crying now. "Too r-r-relax," she whispered through her tears and her hiccups. Finally, he snapped._

_SMACK!_

_"AHH!" Santana turned her head to the sound of the scream. She was out in the open park, lying a good distance from the picnic table. A few more relatives had come, but no one she played with was here yet. Her mom had sent her out to explore while the adults finished setting up the picnic, lying a few blankets on the ground, and spreading out the food across the table. Santana raised her head at the sound of the voice. Looking back at the adults, who were busy chatting and organizing food, Santana decided to investigate. She ran towards the trees, where she had heard the voice. About halfway there, at the edge of the park, she found a blonde girl and a tall man that looked like her dad. The blonde girl looked about Santana's age, and she was crying and holding her cheek with her hands. The man was breathing heavily, a furious look in his eyes._

_"Are you okay?" Santana asked the blonde girl, but she just kept crying. She didn't even seem to notice Santana's presence._

_"Who are you? Get away from my daughter!" the man spat, but Santana was not intimidated. She was a smart girl, and judging from their body language, Santana guessed what had happened._

_"Did you hit her?" Santana asked._

_"Why would I do such a thing?" the man sneered. He teetered on his feet, almost losing his balance. Santana smelled something weird coming from him. She looked at his bloodshot eyes, his sunken face, and his shaking hands, and she knew he had been drinking. Santana turned to the blonde girl, who had finally noticed that the Latina was here._

_"Did he hit you?" Santana whispered softly. The girl shyly looked into Santana's eyes, and Santana was immediately taken back. Even though they were red and puffy, they were the perfect shade of hazel, the prettiest eyes Santana had ever seen. The girl nodded slightly, and then continued to cry. But this wasn't over. Santana wasn't going to let some mean guy get away with hitting the pretty girl. Santana took a step in front of Quinn, shielding her from her dad. Maybe her high tops had given her the courage to do this, but for whatever reason, Santana felt like she needed to let the man have a piece of her mind._

_"Sir, I don't know if you know this, but you shouldn't hit your daughter. No one deserves to be hit, except for maybe a mean man like you," Santana sniffed in disgust, lifting her chin up with confidence._

_"Don't tell me what to do little girl. You don't know anything," the man sneered. This seemed to ignite Santana's inner Snix._

_"Don't tell me what I know or don't! I know I'm only 10 but I know that you've been drinking. And when you drink, you go all crazy, and you don't think straight. And I know that hitting people is bad, and if I find out you hit your daughter again, Imma go all Lima Heights on you!" Santana yelled at his face, using her high tops to make her seem taller. She looked straight into the man's eyes, her hands clenched tightly into fists. The man didn't understand that last bit of what Santana said, but he was definitely surprised the little girl's attitude. Never had a kid stood up to him, not once. This kid had nerve, going against him. But he also knew that the little girl was serious and she'd probably tell her parents. So, Quinn's father squinted his eyes at the two little girls, cursed under his breath, and walked drunkenly away, towards his home._

_When he was out of earshot, Santana breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the little blonde girl, who had stopped crying._

_"You ok?" she whispered. The blonde girl nodded, her beautiful hazel eyes still red and her breathing still heavy. There was a red imprint on her hand across her cheek, from where she had been slapped. It was the first time her dad had ever hit her, and she had been more than surprised and hurt by the action. Now she was even more scared of him._

_"What's your name?" Santana asked, feeling sympathy for the chubby girl._

_It took a moment for the girl to respond._

_"Quinn. Quinn Fabray," she sniffled. Quinn was grateful for the Latina's help, and was even more grateful that the brunette wasn't disgusted by Quinn's looks. _

_"I like that name," Santana smiled, grabbing Quinn's hand in order to comfort her. Quinn smiled. It was the first time she had used that name to introduce herself, since most people in Iowa already knew her as "Lucy Caboosey."_

_"Mija! Mija! Your cousins are here! Mija, come back! Where are you?" a voice shouted from far away. _

_"I'll be right there Mami!" Santana shouted back, over Quinn's shoulder. She looked back at the blonde girl. "Do you wanna come with me, Quinn?"_

_Quinn smiled. Her heart swelled. It had been a long time since she had had a friend, or at least someone who cared for her. But then she remembered her drunken father back at home, and her face fell._

_"I'm sorry. I can't. I have to go home," she whispered sadly._

_"What? Back to your dad? Why?" Santana asked, obviously worried._

_"If I don't go home soon, he'll be even madder. I'm sorry, but I have to go," Quinn explained._

_"Aw, okay. I wish you could come. But that's okay. Be safe, Quinn," Santana squeezed Quinn's hand. Then, before she could lose her courage, she quickly kissed the blonde's cheek, (the one that had not been hit,) and ran away before she became too embarrassed. Quinn stood there, frozen. She could still feel the brunette's soft lips on her cheek. It made her heart flutter. No one had been so sweet to her, and the brunette barely even knew her._

_As Quinn trudged reluctantly back to her home, she realized she had never asked for the brunette's name._

* * *

"Ohmigod," Quinn breathed. It was all coming back to her now. She had spent so long trying to get rid of any memories of her dad.

"Wow," I whispered. I looked into Quinn's hazel eyes, the ones that had first captured me eight years ago.

"I know," Quinn said, her eyes wide. "For awhile, I thought your name was Mija. But then I found out that it was Spanish for "my daughter," and I spent the next few years looking for you. You never came back."

"I was visiting my relatives in Iowa. That was my last day there," I explained. "You've changed so much. What happened?"

Quinn took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She told me about her real name, Lucy, and how everyone was mean to her, how she didn't have any friends. In middle school, she decided she had had enough, and worked continuously to lose weight. She got contacts, got her braces off, and by high school, she had become the HBIC of the entire freshmen class. Everyone knew her as Quinn, and no one dared to mention her past.

"I've always thought you were pretty, even before you changed," I said honestly.

"You always were my knight in shining armor. Well, my knight in black high tops," Quinn smiled. I giggled. The compliment made my heart beat faster. The little butterflies in my stomach were fluttering, and my breathing was becoming quicker. I cupped Quinn's cheek, bringing the blonde closer.

"What happened to 'I don't want this to be a spring fling?'" Quinn asked, her breath ghosting over my lips. I glanced down at her full, plump lips, licking my own in response.

"Fuck that."

And I pulled her in for a much-delayed kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Quinn's POV:**

The moment her lips touched mine, I completely and utterly melted. Not literally, but the way her soft lips pressed against mine made my heart flutter. And when her hand started caressing my cheek, I couldn't help but sigh into her touch. Santana continued kissing me softly, creating a rhythm of synchronized lips moving together. Her kisses were addicting; I couldn't get enough of her taste.

As I threaded my own fingers into her hair, I felt Santana's warm, wet tongue swiping across my bottom lip. I gasped in surprise, and when her tongue slipped into my mouth, I didn't even try to suppress my moan. Our tongues met in a battle for dominance, and Santana was moaning simultaneously with me. I bit her bottom lip before peppering kisses along her cheek and jawbone, moving towards her neck.

"Guys! Lights out in 5 minutes!" A voice called from the living room. I jumped, pulling away from Santana in surprise. I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed and I definitely didn't hear the other girls come into the cabin. Santana chuckled, resting her forehead against mine, her eyes still closed. When she finally opened her eyes to meet mine, I watched in awe as her warm chocolate brown eyes twinkled with gold.

"Hi," she smiled shyly through her long lashes. She was just too cute.

"Hi," I smiled back. My arms were still wrapped around her neck, and her hands had moved to my waist.

"So..." Santana smiled back lazily. Her fingers slowly traced random patterns on my thigh, making me shiver.

"Guys! You have one minute left! Don't forget, breakfast is tomorrow at 7, and your first class is at 9!" Julia shouted from outside the cabin, before slamming the door close and heading toward the counselors' cabin. I could hear people frantically rushing around in the rooms next to ours.

"Damnit," Santana cursed. "How am I supposed to shower in a minute?" She laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.

"You can shower with me." The words slipped out of my mouth before I had the chance to stop them. I hadn't even realized I had said that until Santana's eyes widened and she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Wanky," she winked. My mouth fell open in embarrassment, and I felt myself blushing heavily. _Oh God, why did I have to say that?_ Maybe my hormones were still raging from Santana's kisses. Actually, they were. I could tell from the wetness and the heat that I felt down there. Santana noticed my look and she laughed.

"It's cool. I have flashlights." She jumped off her bed and started rummaging around in her suitcase, looking for them.

"Um, ok, uh...yeah..." Wow, I was such an awkward turtle.

"Are you always this articulate?" Santana joked. But her voice was low and husky, and it sent different feelings down my body.

"I'm going to the bathroom to brush my teeth first," I offered. I gathered my towel and my pajamas before the leaving the room. I really hated how the bathroom was separate from our room. It was so inconvenient, especially having to share one bathroom with 6 girls. The lights were still on (thank gosh) as I crossed the living room, but just as I entered the bathroom, they flickered out. Guess my minute was up.

Now would have been the perfect time for some night-vision goggles. I felt like a bat as I blindly reached my hand out, trying to feel around for any sign of a toothbrush. No? Ok, then, maybe I could find drawer. But I couldn't even find the frickin' toilet. I just stumbled around like a lost penguin, and I probably had less grace than a flamingo, which is saying something since flamingos stand on one leg.

"Ow!" I groaned as my toe hit something. At least no one was there to laugh at my stupidity.

All of a sudden, the bathroom door banged open.

"AHH!" I screamed out, clutching my heart in surprise. Santana stood there with two flashlights in her hand, a smirk on her face.

"There's the toilet," Santana waved the flashlight in the direction of the black porcelain. It was probably painted black to match our Cabin colors.

"It's not nice to watch somebody, ya know," I deadpanned. Santana rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't watching you. The bathroom door was closed. But I heard you," Santana smirked. I tried to ignore the blush creeping up on my face again.

"Well, it's fucking dark," I defended myself, playfully poking my tongue at her. She chuckled and handed me a flashlight.

"You know, our neon green paint glows in the dark," Santana reminded me.

"Yeah, only on the _outside_ of the cabin," I pointed out. Santana just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I'll take a shower first," she said, before heading toward the direction of the shower.

Oh, so _that's _where the drawers were. Now that I could see with my flashlight, I noticed that the bathroom was pretty small. There was a toilet in one corner (no wonder I couldn't find it), and a counter lining the opposite wall. There were six black and neon green cupboards above the counter, one for each of the girl's toiletries and makeup. The shower was curtained off and located at the opposite end of the bathroom from where I was standing.

I heard the shower turn on as I started to brush my teeth. The thought of a wet, naked Santana so close to me made my breath hitch. My mouth watered, and not because of the toothpaste. I could feel a pool of wetness starting to form in my bakini bottom. My mind was running wild, imagining all of the things I could do to her...Oh, God.

Wait, what? Was I seriously falling for this girl? I mean, yeah, she was smart, funny, and gorgeous, but she was a _girl._ And I was not gay. Or was I?

The kiss we had shared had been...nothing but magical. I really liked Santana, but...what would my family say? I wasn't supposed to like girls. I was supposed to be Quinn Fabray, a perfect, little aspiring artist.

Santana's voice interrupted me from my little gay panic. At first, I thought maybe someone's ringtone had gone off, but I recognized the raspy, yet melodic layers of her voice. It was beyond beautiful. It was an eargasm.

_"Come on take a walk on the wild side  
Let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain  
You like your girls insane  
Choose your last words, this is the last time  
Cause you and I, we were born to die."_

Oh, her voice. Seriously, she should be a Singer. Why was she in the Artist group? I shrugged, although secretly, I was glad she was my roommate. That way, I'd get to spend more time with her. And I'd get to be the first to see her in the morning, and the last to see her at night.

_I kinda want it to be like that forever_, I thought.

Maybe I was a little gay for Santana.

* * *

Once I had finished showering and returned to my room, I found Santana lying on her bed, her eyes watching me. I smiled shyly at her before climbing into my own bed.

Though it was dark, I could still feel her eyes trained on me. It made me nervous; my heart was beating out of my chest. The room was quiet, and my heart was probably loud enough for Santana to hear, too. I turned my back to her, not wanting to feel too awkward. I knew she wasn't asleep, though, because her breaths came out in little huffs, and she kept shifting in her bed.

"Santana?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" she breathed out.

"Stop watching me. It's creepy," I said lamely. Even though my back was to her, I knew she was smiling.

"But you're so pretty," she cooed.

Oh. I wasn't expecting that. Santana was such a charmer, always finding a way to make me blush. She acted so tough in front of her Glee club friends, but I knew that there was this whole other side to her that only I could see. And Brittany. That thought made me frown a bit.

"You can't even see my face," I pointed out.

"I don't have to," Santana shrugged. "I already know you're pretty. And so is Lucy."

At her words, I turned around and looked into her eyes. They were so sincere, so passionate, that I wanted to kiss her right then and there. But right now, we were on separate beds.

She was staring at me with a small, lopsided grin on her face, and her hands were bunched up with her blanket in front of her chest. My eyes captured the way her body rose up and down with each breath she took. Her wavy hair was sprayed all around her head, and yet she still looked absolutely stunning. The way she had whispered "Lucy" made my heart lurch. It made me feel special, like we were connected on some sort of deeper level. Santana and me. We. I liked how that sounded.

"I'm so cold," I whined, shivering in my bed.

"Maybe that sweatshirt will come in use, then," she said. She continued to smile at me fondly.

But it wasn't the response I wanted, so I tried again.

"I'd still be too cold," I pouted. Something flashed through Santana's eyes, and there was a rustling sound under her bed. Before I knew it, she was crawling under the covers of _my_ bed. My eyes raked over her long, tan legs that stuck out from her boy shorts. I gasped silently as they tangled with my own legs. The feeling of her smooth skin on mine clouded my thoughts. It was pure bliss, and I tried to hide a smile as I felt her warm toes nudging my frozen ones.

"Feeling warmer?" Santana husked.

"Not really," I pouted. Santana smirked. She knew what I was doing, but she played along anyway. Wrapping a strong, lean arm around my waist, she drew my body closer to hers. I stared at her luscious lips, liking my own subconsciously. My eyes fluttered close as Santana kissed my forehead, then my nose, finally capturing my lips in a searing kiss. Her hand was on the small of my back, pulling me as close to her as possible. When the kiss came to an organic end, I sighed happily.

"Better?" Santana asked. I opened my eyes to find her lopsided grin back on her face.

"A lot," I nodded happily. Santana giggled and nuzzled into me, snuggling into my chest. My chin rested against the top of her head, and I breathed in her unique smell, letting it wash over me as my eyelids slowly closed.

It was the easiest sleep I had ever had, with the Latina's arms around me and my legs tangled with hers.

Maybe this art camp wasn't as bad as I thought.

* * *

Someone was breathing on my neck. I opened my eyes slowly, not used to the bright light that had filtered through the window blinds. My eyes met cocoa ones, and I wrinkled my nose, trying to stifle a yawn that was slowly creeping on me. There was a tan arm draped over my stomach, and a hand was lightly tracing shapes on my back.

"You're so adorable, Quinn," Santana whispered when she saw my eyes open. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered at the sound of my name on her tongue. Santana leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Mmm...I like this," I smiled, snuggling closer into the brunette.

"We gotta get up. Breakfast started an hour ago," Santana said sadly.

I pouted. "Aw, but I don't wanna..."

"I know, but we kind of hafta..." Santana pointed out. I gave her my big puppy dog eyes.

"But..."

"They have bacon," Santana offered.

"Bacon!?" I immediately jumped off the bed. Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked. But hey, who could blame me? I loved me some bacon!

I gave Santana a chaste kiss before heading out to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the door was locked.

"Hey!" I called, knocking on the door. "Whoever's in there, can you hurry up? I got bacon waiting for me!"

I heard Santana's light giggle from inside our room, which made me blush. I was seriously starting to really like this girl.

* * *

"Hey guys, where were you? Breakfast's almost over!" Finn called us over to the Glee club table.

"We would've gotten here earlier if _someone_ hadn't taken so long in the bathroom!" I looked at Tina pointedly. Tina put both hands up in mock innocence.

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting your time with your beloved bacon," Tina rolled her eyes as she teased me.

"Well, I'm just glad you're here!" Brittany said excitedly, pulling Santana to the only empty chair next to her. My smile immediately dropped from my face as Santana hugged Brittany tightly. I sighed, making my way over to the opposite end of the table, next to Mercedes. I didn't like how close Santana and Brittany sat, and my anger flared up as I watched Brittany lean over to whisper something in Santana's ear, and Santana laughed loudly, her eyes lighting up. I glared at the two; I didn't realize watching them would hurt so much. Santana wasn't officially mine, but it didn't stop me from wanting to rip Brittany's hand away from Santana's shoulder. I wanted to be the one who made Santana laugh like that. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore. I pushed my bacon over to the side of my plate, sighing loudly.

"Hey," Mercedes nudged me. I looked up at her, forcing a fake smile on my face.

"Hey," I said slowly. "Mercedes right?"

Mercedes nodded. "So, you liking camp so far?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Well, technically, today is the first day," I pointed out. She laughed.

"True that, girl. Just wait till the second class of the day. Best class ever!" she exclaimed.

"How come?"

"'Cause you get to pick what you learn, _and_ you can do it with your friends. It's the best time of the day," Mercedes explained. At this moment at the other end of the table, Santana had burst into laughter at something that Brittany had said. I glared at Brittany, my jealousy rising. Santana caught my eye and waved at me, but I didn't wave back. Instead, I focused my entire attention to the conversation I was having with Mercedes.

"Yeah, I heard. So, what kind of classes are there?" I asked, trying to mask my fury.

"Well, there's singing, acting, art, and dancing, of course. But then, there's also stuff like swimming, ballroom dancing, hiking...There's boring stuff like math and English and whatever, for the nerds. Like Artie," Mercedes pointed to the kid with glasses in the wheelchair. I laughed loudly. I saw Santana glancing over at me, an unreadable expression on her face, but I ignored her.

"There's even a bunch of languages, like Spanish and French and Russian. I heard they're opening a Chinese and a Latin class," Mercedes continued.

"Sounds like a lot," I say, raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah, and then there's even cooler stuff, like archery and underwater-basket weaving."

"Underwater-basket weaving?" I said in disbelief. Mercedes nodded.

"I thought that was only in, like, the Percy Jackson books or something," I said. Mercedes laughed at my reference.

"That's what I thought, until I came here. I actually took one class of it, it's not that bad," Mercedes shrugged. I hummed with interest and returned to picking at my food.

Suddenly, a bell sounded in the distance, and a voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Welcome to your official first day at Project SmARTs! Today is going to be so fun and exciting!" I recognized the high-pitched voice of the lady who had greeted me the first day. "Breakfast ends in about 10 minutes. In the meantime, your counselors and your cabin leaders will be handing out your revised schedules and directing you to your classrooms. I hope you all have a wonderful first day!" Once the lady stopped talking, the counselors rushed to the front of the cafeteria before the swarm of students could stampede them. Over the noise and the chaos, I heard a girl's voice shout about the crowd.

"Artists over here! Meet with your cabin leader!" Riley, the Artists counselor, shouted. I dumped my uneaten breakfast in the trash can and headed to the right side of the building, where other people had already lined up. I craned my neck, trying to look for my cabin leader Julia, but I couldn't find her head of short, spiky black hair. During my search, I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings, so it surprised me when I suddenly bumped into someone else.

"Oh! Sorry-" I started, and I found warm cocoa-brown eyes staring back at me. "Oh, Santana, Brittany, sorry." In my rush, I had accidentally bumped Santana's hip, causing her to fall into Brittany, who had caught her.

The picture of Brittany holding Santana in her arms flashed through my eyes and all of a sudden, I saw red. I probably looked like a hot, red angry mess, too. I pressed my lips into a thin line. Okay, maybe I did have some serious jealousy issues.

"You seen Julia?" Santana asked me, snapping me out of my jealous thoughts. I noticed that her pinky was linked with Brittany's pinky, which hella annoyed me, and I swallowed harshly.

"Um..no," I tried not to sound mad, but my voice had a certain roughness to it that I could not push away.

"Okay, well we'll go find her together," Santana dropped Brittany's hand and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

That did it. I turned on my heel and walked away, not bothering to wait for Santana. It hurt like a bitch to see her kiss someone else, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Quinn! Wait!" Santana grabbed my arm, stopping me from going any further. I sighed. I really didn't want to be near her right now. Memories of last night and early this morning came flooding back to me, and they made my heart hurt worse. Seeing Santana kiss Brittany just ripped my heart up into tinier pieces.

Okay, maybe that was a little melodramatic, but it was true. I was one jealous bitch.

"Quinn! Quinn? Are you okay?" Santana asked in a quieter voice. There was a deep worry in her tone, and judging by the look in her eyes, she was sincerely concerned. My heart melted at how much she cared about me. I wanted to tell her what was wrong, to forgive her for everything, but I was too stubborn and I wasn't going to give up this easily.

"I'm fine," I said gruffly. My walls were back up.

Santana studied me for a minute, and then decided that it would be safer to just stay quiet. I appreciated her decision. A jealous, angry Quinn Fabray was not a pretty one.

Eventually, we found Julia against the back right wall of the cafeteria, surrounded by our other Cabin 3 mates.

"Alright guys, I have your new schedules. There's a list of all the classes and the room numbers, and there's a map of the camp on the back," Julia said as she quickly passed out the papers. The bell sounded and a huge mass of people swarmed to get to their rooms. I pushed through the crowd, hoping not to be late on my first day, and Santana stuck right behind me.

* * *

The Art classroom was on the first floor in the main building, and it was pretty big. One of the walls was entirely made of glass, so we could see the parts of the forest and the lake outside. I thought this was a pretty smart idea, especially if we wanted to paint some real-life scenery. The room contained around 40 regular desks, a teacher's desk, and a whiteboard. It was decorated with posters and famous paintings, along with mini models and sculptures and such. I loved being surrounded by so much art.

Santana and I choose seats near the back. Even though I was a straight-A student back home in Iowa, I was never too enthusiastic about school. It was mainly my mom who pushed me to get perfect grades.

The teacher walked in just as the late bell rang. She was young and Asian, with long black hair tied in a low ponytail. She greeted the class with a smile.

"Hi, guys. My name is Gigi and I'll be your Art teacher this year! There's actually four other Art teachers, so let's just hope you like being stuck here with me," she chuckled. I could tell she was a new teacher, probably fresh out of college. After taking attendance, Gigi passed out sketch pads and drawing pencils to the entire class.

"Let's start with the basics of art: lines..." Gigi said. She turned around and began drawing on the whiteboard.

Santana took this time to scribble something on her paper and rip it out. Gigi's back was still turned, so she quickly dropped it on my desk. My heart started beating fast. With shaking hands, I carefully opened the crumpled paper as quietly as I could, I dropped my hands to my lap so that Gigi wouldn't see the note I was holding.

_I know you're mad at me, Q. Tell me, please? xS_

I wrinkled my eyebrow. Did I really want to tell her? Would I seem like some super-jealous, over-protective girlfriend? I didn't even know what Santana and I were; we had only kissed a few times. I was so confused and my feelings were all over the place. Quickly, I wrote something back.

_I'm not mad, Santana. I promise._

I didn't bother signing it. I was still a little annoyed with the whole-Brittany thing. Santana read my note and looked at me, her eyes narrowing and her head tilted in concentration. A few minutes later, I felt her pass me a new note.

_Wait two minutes and then follow me to the bathroom. It's to the left of this classroom. xS_

"Um...Ms...umm...?" Santana raised her hand and faltered.

"It's okay, dear, just call me Gigi," the teacher smiled.

"Ok...um...Gigi," Santana looked uncomfortable calling her teacher by her first name, "may I go to the bathroom?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Santana smiled, stood up, and purposely brushed by my shoulder on her way out. My body shivered from her touch, leaving me all over the place. On one hand, I was still a little bit jealous of Santana and Brittany, but on the other hand, I wasn't going to miss a chance to be with Santana, alone. That girl was just something...special.

_Oh Gods, what was she doing to me?_

I waited my two minutes before asking Gigi the same question. It really did feel weird to be calling my teacher "Gigi." It felt unnatural and informal. But Gigi still let me leave the classroom.

I opened the bathroom door to find Santana fixing her makeup in the mirror. I smiled, despite my anger with her. In my opinion, she didn't need any fixing up. She was already a perfect goddess. She'd look beautiful wearing a trash bag.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms, waiting for Santana to start the conversation. I put on my perfect HBIC mask. After all, I wasn't going to let her get me _that_ easily.

When Santana had finally finished freshening up, she turned to look at me, her hip resting on the sink.

"So?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"So what?" I was confused. Santana rolled her eyes.

"I know something's up," she stated simply.

"Yeah, the ceiling is up," I deadpanned, pointing to the roof above us.

"That's not what I meant," Santana said seriously.

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"I want the truth. Why are you acting so weirdly?"

"I'm not acting weirdly," I defended. "This is always how I act."

"You didn't act like this last night," Santana pointed out. I swallowed and my face hardened. Santana must've been pretty observant, because she caught the change in my looks.

"Oh my God, is this about Brittany?" she asked.

Damnit, that girl was smart. But of course, I was Quinn Fabray, HBIC of my school, and I wasn't going down without a fight.

"No," I shrugged.

Santana scoffed. "Yeah, right. I see the way you look at her."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Santana guessed, smirking slightly. Gods, how could she be so annoying but so damn cute at the same time? It was really irking me.

"No, I'm not," I denied.

"Quinn, you have nothing to be jealous of!" Santana said exasperatedly.

"That's why I'm not jealous!"

"Yes, you are," Santana lowered her voice patiently. "And I should've figured it out. It all makes sense now. Quinn, you shouldn't be jealous of Brittany. She's just a really close friend."

"A friend that you kiss?" I shot back.

"Friends can kiss each other on the cheek, Quinn, it's completely platonic," Santana reasoned.

"Well, I don't like it," I said simply. There, I said it. I was jealous. Santana smiled knowingly, but then her expression changed completely.

"And I don't like your jealousy," Santana scoffed.

"Then don't be so flirty with Brittany," I offered.

"I'm not flirting with her. That's just how we act," Santana clarified.

"It just..." I sighed. "It just...it's hard watching you and her. You're so easy and natural with her. I want us to be like that. I want to make you laugh, I want to hold your hand and kiss you on the cheek. And the lips..."

Santana looked like she was about to retort back, but she bit her lip. Instead, she studied my face, her tongue poking out in concentration. Gods, she looked so cute right now. I loved seeing this side of her. I just wanted to kiss the hell out of her, but I wasn't going to lose my angry front just like that, even though I hated being so angry with her. She let me see the soft side of her, maybe I should do the same.

"I'm sorry," I sighed, my face softening. "I'm really sorry, Santana. I shouldn't be so jealous. I'm just so...insecure, I guess. My whole life, I've never had much self-esteem. And my father, he made it worse. It's just...seeing you and Brittany...well, she's so pretty and beautiful, and I'll never be as good as her, but I really want to be, because I want to make you laugh like she does, I love your smile, and I'm sorry for rambling, and-"

"Quinn," Santana interrupted. My heart still fluttered every time she said my name. Santana wiped some of my tears that had managed to escape. "Don't be so harsh on yourself. And don't compare yourself to Brittany. I promise you, we're just friends. She's got nothing on you."

"Obviously, you have some jealousy and insecurity problems that we need to work on. But that's okay, because I want to be there for you. With you. Just you and me, Quinn. Together," Santana whispered as she cupped my face. I broke out into a smile after hearing those words. They sounded so raw, so deep, and I loved it.

"I barely know you, Quinn. I don't know if you ever had a pet, I don't know what's your favorite movie or book. Hell, I don't even know your birthday..." Santana chuckled lightly. "But I know every curve of your face. I know every fleck of gold in your eyes. And I know that whatever's going on between us...well, I like it. And I like you. And I don't plan on ever changing that."

Santana leaned forward and softly brushed her lips against mine. It was a slow, sweet kiss, but it meant the world to me. As we broke apart, gasping for air, I saw her eyes full of passion and promises of the future.

"Ok," I said.

"Ok?"

"Just you and me, Santana. Together," I repeated her words. I still wasn't sure what was going on between us. It didn't exactly define our relationship, but it was enough for now.

The smile that lit Santana's face made everything worth it.

"Ok," she said.

As we walked back to class, Santana intertwined our fingers together. At first, she was hesitant, but I didn't push her away. The feeling of her hand in mine made my body tingle.

I couldn't wipe the stupid little grin off my face even if I tried.


	5. Chapter 5

I stopped Santana before we could walk back into the classroom, immediately dropping her hand.

"Wait," I said.

"Wha-" Santana started, confused.

"I'm not gay," I cut her off. Santana quirked her eyebrow, even more confused. "I mean...I've never had feelings for a girl, except for you. And...well...I'm not exactly comfortable...umm..." I tried to search for the right words to say.

"Being out?" Santana offered. I nodded, slightly embarrassed.

Santana studied my face for a second, looking cute with her head tilted to the right. After a pause, she said, "Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok, I get it. I was like that too, until, well...Anyways, I know how you feel, and I understand. We'll keep this a secret until you're ready, ok?" She smiled and stood on her tippy toes to give me a sweet kiss that left my lips tingling.

"Ok," I smiled, feeling light-headed from this kiss. "Thank you." I pecked her on the lips again.

As we entered the classroom together, (but with our hands apart), I couldn't stop stealing glances at Santana, who kept returning them, and we'd share giddy smiles that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter. Every time her cocoa eyes hit mine, I'd blush, hoping no one else could see my flushed face. I was so busy watching Santana that I barely noticed Gigi calling my name.

"Quinn?"

"What?" I asked, snapping my attention toward the teacher.

"I asked if you would like to share the reason you chose Art?" Gigi asked.

"Oh! Oh, ok...umm...I like art because it's a way to escape my problems. And almost anything can be art, you know, real life or abstract, and I really like how open-minded art is. Life is art and art is life," I answered quickly. I wasn't usually one to draw attention to myself, and I never like answering questions in class. Gigi nodded her approval, though, and I felt relieved.

"Nice save," Tina whispered to me from the row in front. I gave her a thumbs up before looking back at Santana, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"I have ever told you that you're really pretty?" I blushed at Santana's compliment.

"Um, yeah."

"Well, you're really pretty."

"Thanks."

"Alright, cool."

"Cool."

"Do you always have to have the last word? And copy my last word?" Santana asked, laughing lightly as she teased me.

"What? Pshh, no," I denied her statement.

"Oh really now?" Santana raised an eyebrow, smirking ever so slightly.

"Yep."

"Alright."

"Alright," I said. "Damnit!" I whispered quietly as I caught myself, realizing she was right. Santana laughed victoriously, gave me a flirty wink, and returned to whatever Gigi was saying.

"Alright class, for our last two hours, you are going to either sketch or paint something, anything you want. I don't care what it is, I just want to see how artistic and creative you can be. It can be made up, still life, people, whatever you want. Alright?" Gigi looked around the room excitedly. Most of the class nodded back. "Great! Let's go! Feel free to use any tools and paper you find around the classroom."

Most of the students stayed at their desks to sketch, but I moved toward the side of the classroom, where the easels were located. Personally, I liked painting better than drawing. I loved the way the brush caressed the paper with intricate curves as each individual hair soaked the whiteness with color. It fascinated me how you could mix an almost infinite amount of colors with three simple colors: red, blue, and yellow. My favorite part about painting was layering the colors to give the art a more realistic look. I loved how if you messed up, you could just apply the correct color of paint on top of the mistake. I wished that could happen in real life.

It was only 10 in the morning, and the sun was already up and shining brightly. It permeated through the tall glass windows that made up the entire wall, filling the entire classroom with natural light. I could see the forest and the lake outside, fully illuminated by the big, bright star above. I decided to paint just that, capturing how the light reflected upon the blue water, making the trees shimmer with their green leaves waving to and fro. It really was quite the sight.

Tubes of acrylic paint and paintbrushes were stacked in small boxes that ran along the bottom of the windows. I grabbed a cup and some paper towels from Gigi's desk, filled the cup with water, and got to work. I started by mixing a light brown color and began drawing an outline of everything, from the water's curvy shape to the flat horizon of the browning grass. I used an even light brown to capture the sun's rays shooting down upon the Ohio ground.

"Wow, you really know your stuff, huh?" a voice asked from behind me. I turned around, slightly startled.

"Um, what?" I asked to the boy standing next to me. What was his name? Oh yeah, Kurt. He had complimented my clothing style, so he seemed nice enough. He was cute, puppy-dog cute, and very, very pale. Kurt was nodding toward my painting.

"I see you're starting the outline in all brown. Most people would immediately use green from the trees and yellow for the sun, which you're not supposed to do. I'm guessing you take lessons in Iowa?" Kurt asked.

I shrugged. "I look a few awhile back, but nothing recent."

Kurt nodded. "I'm impressed. I can already tell that this is going to be a great painting."

"Thank you," I blushed. He was a cute kid. "What are you painting?"

Kurt pointed to his own easel, which also had a light brown outline of the head of a handsome boy. "My boyfriend."

"Oh," I said, suddenly awkward. I was never great at talking about controversial matters, like sexuality, because it was an almost forbidden topic at home. The painting was very realistic though, almost like a picture, even though it was all in brown. He looked familiar, too. "And who's-" I started to ask.

"Blaine. He's a Musician. Great singer," Kurt gushed with a lovey dovey look on his face.

"Ah, ok," I smiled. Judging by Kurt's lovestruck expression, I could tell he was head over heels in love with Blaine. It was adorable, and deep inside my heart, I wish Santana and I could be like that one day.

"Move over, Porcelain, isn't the sun burning your abnormally pale face?" Santana's silky voice rang out, making my heart jump a bit. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"How are you so tan? There's no sun in hell, Satan," Kurt shot back.

"I stole my tan from you, of course," Santana replied cheekily.

"Well, I am honored," Kurt joked. I laughed at their little comeback battle. Kurt moved to the next easel over so that Santana was in between me and him. I liked how Santana forced Kurt to move so that she could stand next to me; at least I hoped that was her reasoning. It made me feel...special.

"Nice drawing," I nodded towards Santana's blank canvas.

"Thanks," she rolled her eyes. "I'm working on imagination. Can you tell?"

"Oh, definitely," I said sarcastically.

"Cool," Santana laughed.

"Cool," I smiled, but mentally cursed myself for doing the whole copy-last-word thing again. Santana must've read my mind because she laughed and then started her own painting.

* * *

Two hours later, my legs were about to die and my arms were noodles. My back was sore, and my brain dangerously pounded on my skull. The sun had fried me to a crisp, and it wasn't even summer! The only break I got was when Gigi had me sit so she could take a look at my painting and critique it. Other than that, I had been standing the entire time, and my feet were hurting and burning.

"Damn, I'm cooked," Santana muttered. She had painted a beach. How she knew what a beach looked like, I didn't know, since we lived in the middle of America. But it looked so real, like a legit California beach. There were waves in mid-motion, rolling clouds, and sparkling sand crystals. In fact, it looked better than any California beach would ever look.

"That's really pretty," I nudged Santana. She turned, smiled at me with those big sparkly brown eyes, looked around the classroom real quick to see that no one was paying attention, and gave me a quick kiss to the cheek.

"Your painting is really pretty, too. And so are you," she winked. I laughed. I loved how she could twist any words into a compliment. She really knew how to make someone feel special and amazing. Santana herself was special and amazing anyways.

"Alright guys, thanks for an awesome first day! You can put your art in the storage room in the back. I'll see you guys tomorrow, same time, same place!" Gigi waved goodbye as the class filtered out.

"Ay! Girl Chang!" Santana called out. Tina stopped halfway through the doorway and turned around, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, Santana?"

"You're Asian. You're smart. I bet you memorized the entire lunch calendar. What's the menu for today?" Santana asked quickly.

"I don't know, Santana," Tina shrugged.

"Disgrace to the Asian race!" Santana yelled, but smiled at the same time, so everyone could tell it was just a joke. Tina laughed, too, making her way out of the classroom.

"See ya at lunch, Satan! They're serving tacos, so you better hurry! Although, your psychic Mexican third eye should've caught that," Tina gave a half-evil smirk and hurried out into the hallway.

"Tacos?! Come on, Q!" Santana grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the cafeteria. I had to run to keep up with her. Man, this girl must really love her tacos.

"Wait!" I called out.

"What is it?" Santana asked, turning to look at me with concern. I nodded toward our intertwined hands.

"Oh." She dropped my hand quickly, but her face was pulled downward into a frown. "Does it really matter, Q? Friends hold hands all the time."

"Yeah, but I just don't want anyone to suspect anything," I tried to explain. I hated seeing Santana mad.

"Alright, Quinn, alright."

"Alright."

Santana smiled a little at my last word, and I knew everything was going to be okay.

Or so I thought.

* * *

There's nothing more magical than taking the first bite of a Project SmARTs taco. It was like an explosion of Mexico in your mouth. The crunchy shell was filled with flavored olive oil that mixed perfectly with the tender ground beef and the gooey, melted cheddar cheese that topped it. I had added sweet ripened tomatoes and some crunchy lettuce to mine. It was literally heaven in a hard, yellow corn shell. No wonder Santana had pushed some kids over to get a better spot in line.

Next to me, Santana had poured chili and red beans over all five of her tacos. (We only got two each, but there was a perk to being the most feared cheerleader in Ohio, or so Mercedes told me). On the other side of Santana sat Brittany, who had totally ignored the tacos and instead was munching on the alternative: a turkey and cheese panini with grapes on the side. I wasn't too pleased with the seating arrangements, but I didn't want Santana to get even madder at me, so I kept my mouth shut. At least she was sitting next to me this time.

Occasionally, I would glare at Brittany when she made a funny joke and Santana laughed her head off at it. Yeah, my jealousy issues were still there and I couldn't do anything about it, because I had wanted to keep me and Santana a secret. It sucked.

To distract myself, I talked to the others at the table.

"So, guys, how were your classes?" I asked to no one in particular. I hoped someone had heard me so that I wouldn't look like a fool talking to myself. Thankfully, someone did. It was that short brunette with the loud mouth...Oh yeah, her name was Rachel.

"My Acting class was quite interesting. It was not exactly like last year's, for there is a different teacher this year, since last year's teacher retired. He was quite young, too young to retire, in my opinion. I plan to retire way past 60. I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of old people roles in movies and such, so I will always be with a job," Rachel took a small pause to breathe, but before she could speak again, Santana cut in.

"Damnit, Hobbit, quit with the chit chat. You didn't even answer the damn question!" Santana scoffed. Rachel huffed in response, her nose high in the air.

"I was getting there, Santana. Anyways, what I mean to say is that I think this year's class will be more fun, seeing as the teacher is younger and seems more hip," Rachel said. I nodded politely and turned to Artie to ask him the same question, so that Rachel couldn't talk any longer. Seriously, she could probably talk the entire lunch hour straight.

"It was fun," Artie replied when I asked him. He had the same Acting class as Rachel.

"So, guys, what about our next class? Ya'll wanna come join me in Swimming?" Puck asked. Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"You just wanna check out chicks in their bikinis," she deadpanned.

"Of course not! Just want to work on my tan, that's all," Puck said too innocently.

"Mmhmm, sure," Sam laughed.

"Blaine and I are doing ballroom dancing. Care to join, anyone?" Kurt jumped in.

"Oh, that sounds like fun! I'd love to try!" Rachel exclaimed. "I wonder if we'll be learning the waltz today. It's the easiest dance, even though the foxtrot and the tango are the most fun. Maybe we'll learn swing dancing! Or square dancing! Ohmigosh, I'm so excited now! Finn, be my partner?"

"Sure," Finn grinned.

"Hey, S, remember when you promised to do Dance with me for the first day? We're still doing it, right?" Brittany asked Santana.

Santana looked at me, torn and a little panicked, before turning back to the other blonde.

"Of course, Britt-Britt!" Santana smiled, then turned to me. "Q, wanna join?"

"Um, sure," I said. I didn't have anything else better to do anyways, or maybe I just wanted to make sure the Brittany didn't try to steal _my_ girl.

"Yay!" Brittany clapped her hands together. "We're going to have so much fun working our asses off!" Santana laughed, and the insides of the my stomach clenched.

In the end, most of the Glee Club either went to Swimming, Ballroom Dancing, Directing (Artie), Go-Go Dancing (Sam), Advanced Calculus BC (Tina), or Dancing.

* * *

In a last minute decision, Mike joined Brittany, Santana, and I as we headed towards the Dance room. I was walking right next to Santana, trying to pretend that I wasn't eavesdropping on her conversation with Brittany.

"Did you bring your sports bra?" Brittany asked.

"Of course I did," Santana said. "Can't dance without it!"

"You look so sexy in it, like a bunny." Santana laughed at Brittany's silliness.

"Bunnies aren't sexy, they're cute," Santana pointed out.

"Exactly."

I didn't like where the conversation was heading, and my insides were already flaming now, so I tried to keep my jealousy down to a minimum. I was glad, and relieved, that Santana had invited me. At least she hadn't forgotten about me with Brittany in sight. And as I kept listening to their conversation, I started to imagine Santana in a sports bra. It made my mouth water. Mmm.

As we reached the Dance room, which was a large, air-conditioned (oh thank God) room with mirrors and bars on three sides, we saw tons of other kids talking and stretching. The teacher was in the front corner of the room, playing some samples of music. She was tall and extremely skinny, with a body type similar to Brittany's.

As soon as the bell rang, the music stopped, and so did the talking. The teacher, Ms. Holly, walked to the center of the classroom.

"Good afternoon, class. Today we will be dancing. I know that not all of you are Dancers. In fact, I only recognize a few Dancers in here. But that's okay. That's great! The more people learning how to dance, the better! Maybe next year, you'll switch to being a Dancer. Who knows? Now, you will be split up into groups based on your dancing level. I have two teacher assistants with me: Sammy, who will be teaching the beginners; Crystal, who will take the intermediates, and I will be instructing the more advanced level, as well as any Dancer who is here for another dance class. Sorry, I ramble," Ms. Holly chuckled.

"That might've beaten Berry's record," Santana muttered, and a couple of people around her chuckled.

"So," Ms. Holly began again. "We will be doing a simple warm up to categorize you and find out your levels."

Well, "simple" in her terms meant splits, turns, and leaps. So not simple.

Before the class had begun, Santana had ripped off her shirt, revealing the toned, tan abs that appeared below her neon green sports bra. She showed off her ass in black booty shorts, complete with black jazz shoes and a slicked back ponytail. Hot. I tried to minimize my staring, but it was hard to when there was an absolute goddess right in front of me. I'm pretty sure I drooled as I was putting on my ballet shoes. Brittany had let me borrow them. I wasn't exactly keen on borrowing anything from Brittany, but I didn't want to be the only one in socks and without shoes, so I took them. My outfit consisted of black leggings and a pink tee with some DIY tribal designs that I had ironed onto them.

I had taking a couple of dance classes back in Iowa, mainly just to help my cheerleading, but I had never been much of a dancer. Still, I amazed myself at how well I could still do a pirouette. Yeah, it was just a single turn, (most of the kids there could do doubles and triples), but hey, at least I could still do it! Thanks to cheer, my flexibility was amazing, and so were my split jumps and leaps. I didn't totally fail the warm up - thank God - but I was nowhere near Santana and Brittany's level. Santana especially.

If I didn't know better, I would've thought Santana was a Dancer, not an Artist. She flew across the air in perfect splits, turned clean doubles on her right foot and triples on her left (she was left-handed) with the snap of her head, and managed to look graceful and sexy in her green sports bra at the same time. I may or may not have involuntarily stared at her amazingness, wondering how she could be good at dancing, art, and singing.

There were several times during the warm up when Santana would waltz her way over to me, give me a shy smile and a wink, and then continue doing what she did best: charming the pants off me. Not literally, though. I was left staring at her beauty like a floundering fish. How could this girl be so...amazing? I was falling harder and harder for her with every passing second, and it took everything I had to force myself to not reach for her hand and kiss her - I had to remember that I had wanted us to be a secret. I was not ready.

But she was something special.

"Alright, class. Great warm up. We'll be splitting into our groups now," Ms. Holly shouted over the pounding speakers. I was placed in the Intermediate group with Crystal, and I watched with a longing and aching heart as both Santana and Brittany followed Ms. Holly with the other advanced dancers, including Mike.

Stupid fucking single pirouettes.

After two grueling hours of dancing and working and sweating, I was beat. Crystal had taught us a quick little piece of new choreography, and I was too busy stealing jealous glances of Brittany and Santana dancing too closely together for my liking to memorize whatever Crystal was showing us.

I know Santana had told me there was nothing to worry about, but I still couldn't help but feel jealous. I just tried not to show it as much this time. It hurt that Santana and Brittany could act so freely in public, but with me she acted more civil, less flirty. I guess it was partly my fault, since I was not ready to be "out" yet, but still, it hurt. It hurt like a bitch.

"Hey," Santana smiled after class ended. There was a shiny layer of sweat on her forehead, a towel draped over her shoulder, a water bottle in her hand. She looked gorgeous.

"Hey," I said shyly, glancing around at our surroundings. We were heading towards Cabin 3 together to wash up before dinner. Brittany and Mike had gone towards the Dancers' cabins, and all the other campers were not in sight. I sighed in relief, before pulling Santana into me and kissing her hard. My tongue massaged the inside of her mouth, and I moaned quietly, my hands tangling in her sweaty hair. Santana's hands found their way toward my butt, giving it a squeeze, and I jumped, laughing, pulling away to catch my breath. I could still taste Santana on my tongue.

"I've wanted to do that all day," I admitted bashfully. Santana smiled at me for a second, but then frowned slightly, causing my smile to dissipate.

"What?" I asked nervously. She was still looking at me, and though she didn't seem too happy, her chocolate brown eyes made my heart melt.

"I know you were watching me and Brittany," she stated simply.

Oh. Right.

"Santana, I didn't mean - " I started to say, but she cut me off.

"No, Quinn, you did. I saw it. And I'm not happy with it, but I'm glad you toned it down," Santana's tone softened at the end of her last sentence, her frown disappearing.

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder. It's just so hard, you know?"

"Well try harder, then."

"Can't you just stop flirting with Brittany?" I asked. I knew I was heading into dangerous territory, but I risked it anyways.

"I'm not flirting with Brittany!" Santana defended, crossing her arms in front of her body. "We're just really close. If I stopped, then people would notice something's up. I thought you wanted to be a secret."

"I do! It's just - how would you like it if I got all touchy-feely with my best friend?" I countered. Santana thought about it for a minute, then nodded.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok, I'll turn it down a little. I'll try harder too." And she gave me a kiss to seal her promise.

"Ok."

* * *

The line for the showers was long, especially when there was one shower being shared by six girls. But we managed to get some free time before dinner, which was at six.

"So," Santana said as she came back into our room. She had been the last to shower, and I watched, mesmerized, as the droplets of water rolled from her hair to her bare shoulder. She was only wearing a tank top. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

"I think you know everything already," I said, referencing the first time we met.

"No, I mean like trivial stuff. I don't know. Like, what's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Should've known," Santana muttered to herself. I smiled. She was so cute. "Fav animal?"

"Dog."

"Type?"

"Westies, or Goldies."

"Oh, I love Westies too! Fav movie?"

"Les Mis."

"Oh, can you sing?"

"I try," I shrug.

"I bet you can."

"Haha no, I don't sing in front of people."

"Why not?" Santana raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, it's embarrassing."

"Not if you're good, which you are."

"You've never even heard me sing," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're Quinn. You're amazing at everything you do," Santana replied with a cheeky grin. I blushed.

"Well what about you, Ms. Triple Threat? Singing, art, and dancing? _You're_ amazing at everything you do!" I exclaimed. Seriously, it was the truth. Santana just shrugged.

"Well, you know, I'm not gonna lie..." I laughed at her cocky shrug.

"Why are you an Artist then? Why not a Dancer? You were better than Brittany at warm ups," I commented.

"Aww, you're sweet!" Santana kissed me on the cheek. "But Brittany will always be a better dancer." My heart flared dangerously at her compliment for Brittany, but I did my best to not show my jealousy. "I'm an Artist because I like art the best. You know, like what you said earlier today. 'Life is art and art is life.'"

"Wow, you memorized that?"

"Thought it was the most accurate, beautiful thing I ever heard," Santana confessed, a blush forming on her glowing tan cheeks.

"Oh, well that's sweet," I blushed, too.

"Mmhmm," Santana nodded happily.

"Mmhmm," I confirmed.

Damnit, I copied her last word again!

* * *

We were almost late to dinner, but luckily the others had saved two seats. I just hoped no one would notice our swollen lips.

"Hey, there you guys are!" Puck called as we entered the cafeteria, keeping a respectable distance between us. "We're having karaoke down by the lake after dinner. Care to join?"

"Sure," Santana smiled. She sat down next to Brittany, and I sat next to her. Today's dinner was pizza. Yum.

"Oh my gosh, S, guess what?" Brittany asked.

"What?"

"I found a duckie in the lake today!" Brittany exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Really? Good for you, Britt!" Santana laughed. I had to laugh too; Brittany seemed so happy.

"I'm going to name it after you, Sanni!" Brittany said.

"Aw, really now? That's so sweet! Thank you, Britt-Britt!" Santana hugged Brittany tightly. I cleared my throat, and she pulled away quickly. But then, Brittany proceeded to kiss Santana and the cheek, and I almost barfed in my mouth. Santana noticed, looking guilty as Brittany interlocked their pinkies.

"Um, Britt, let's not..." Santana awkwardly removed her hand.

"Aw why?" Brittany pouted.

"Um, let's just not..." Santana didn't provide any further explanation, and Brittany just shrugged.

"Fine."

I felt a little better and scooted a little closer to Santana, taking in her spiced pumpkin perfume as Rachel went on and on about what she wanted to sing during karaoke.

* * *

"Quinn?" Santana whispered quietly, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the back of the pack. The Glee club was walking towards the lake, with everyone holding chairs and lanterns. Puck had his guitar strapped across his back.

"What?" I asked. Santana and I kept a safe distance from the rest of the group, not wanting to be overheard.

"You're mad," Santana stated.

"No, I'm not," I denied.

"Is this about the kiss thing?"

"No."

"It is, and I promise you, I'm working on it. I'm trying to tone it down, I swear. Just give me some time," Santana pleaded.

"I'm not mad."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"I swear, I'm not." I didn't know why I was keeping my guard up so high.

"Fine. Whatever," Santana scoffed and joined the rest of the Glee club members.

"Whatever," I mumbled to myself, my head bowed, feet dragging. Immediately, I felt ashamed for getting jealous so easily. I just couldn't help myself.

Why did I have to screw everything up?

* * *

I didn't sit next to Santana for karaoke night. I sandwiched myself in between Mercedes and Tina, pretending to be interested in their conversations with me. In actuality, I was praying that Santana wasn't too pissed at me, and I was planning a huge speech as an apology in head. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Santana wasn't sitting next to Brittany for a change, which made my heart jump with the slightest bit of hope.

"Alright guys, settle down," Puck instructed as he placed a few chairs in the front of the group. "Santana here has volunteered to be first."

"But-" Rachel started.

"Shut it, Hobbit, you'll get your turn later," Santana threw her a look and she quieted down. "Alright guys," she said, stealing Puck's guitar, "this is for someone very special." Her eyes glanced toward mine, but only for a brief second, and my heart literally stopped.

Under the moonlight, she looked beautiful. Her raven hair was brushed neatly, its natural waves bouncing lightly on her shoulders as she sat down in front of the group. Her eyes sparkled, twinkling like the stars above, and her fingers tapped lightly, nervously, against the golden wood of the guitar. Taking a deep breath with the wind, she started to sing.

_You're beautiful, and your mind is fucking beautiful  
And I can't pretend that doesn't mean a thing to me, to me, yeah  
You're beautiful, good lord, you're fucking beautiful  
And I can't pretend that doesn't mean a thing to me, to me, yeah, yeah_

She occasionally glanced at me from time to time, her fingers gently plucking and strumming the guitar strings to a rhythm that was all hers. I felt my heart swell at the croon and swoon of her voice. My eyes never left her face, glowing against the darkness that surrounded her. I was entranced, breathing heavily. I gripped the edge of my seat as I held on to every single one of her words. She was more than beautiful, this perfect little goddess on Earth, and I felt myself falling, falling, falling...

When the song came to an end and the last chord sounded out into the night, the Glee kids erupted into applause, and I felt my eyes tear up at her small smile.

"So," Puck smirked. "Who was that for?"

Maybe it was the way the moonlight shined upon her, or the way the wind rustled through her hair. Maybe it was the stars whispering to me, "Now, now, now" or the tears falling down my face, but before anyone could even blink, I was already up and out of my seat, and I ran towards Santana sitting alone in front of the group. I ran and I kissed her. I kissed the hell out of her. And the gasps and the squeals and voices all faded away by the feeling of her lips kissing me back with a newfound passion, and I cupped her face, my tears salting our tongues, bringing her closer to me. I didn't care that everyone was watching. Right now, it was just her and me.

In that moment, I decided that she was mine now and no one could take her from me. I wasn't going to be a jealous bitch no more.

"I thought-"

"Shh," I pressed my lips against hers to silent her.

"Ok," she said.

"Ok."


	6. Chapter 6

Murmers. Whispers. There was an uneasy restlessness among our little audience as I continued to pepper Santana's face with sweet kisses. I was straddling her lap, her face between my hands as I continued to shower her with my affection. Her hands were pressed against my back, and she pulled me flush against her own body. Somehow, the guitar had ended up on the ground, forgotten.

Finally, Sam coughed.

"Get a room!" Puck snickered. "Oh wait, can I join you guys in that room?"

My eyes were closed, but I could feel Santana's mouth open, her hot breath cascading across my lips as she stopped kissing me in order to speak.

"Fuck off." It was meant to be menacing, but it came out as a breathless whisper. Santana pressed her lips against mine one more time, before I got off her lap and we both stood up. Puck just rolled his eyes.

"Damnit, you got my guitar all dirty!" Puck jumped off his seat and scooped the instrument off the ground, inspecting it closely for invisible damages. He rubbed the wood with his sleeve and strummed it a couple of times, putting it back to perfect shape. Everyone else's eyes were trained on us, watching our every move carefully, inspecting.

Santana looked at me shyly through her long lashes. She grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. Tina moved over one seat so that Santana and I could sit next to each other, our interlocked hands dangling between us.

"May I inquire something?" Rachel piped up, breaking the silence of the group. "I'd like to known when this began. I mean, how did this happen? Actually, how-"

"We get it, Hobbit," Santana rolled her eyes, but she sounded less bitchy as she looked at me and smiled a rare Santana smile. She brought my hand up to her lips and kissed it, rubbing her thumb over my knuckles soothingly. I blushed at her actions, my heart melting with every passing second.

"Well…?" Tina asked impatiently. Santana huffed.

"Uh, can you guys like not interrupt me when I'm talking to my girl?" Santana asked exasperatedly. I felt my cheeks redden, my stomach swooning. I was Santana's girl…

"You weren't even talking," Tina pointed out.

"So? And you shouldn't be either."

"We just wanna know what happened!"

"Fine, you wanna know what happened? Well I saw Quinn for the first time yesterday, thought she was just amazing. I knew from the start I wanted to make her mine, and now she is," Santana shrugged as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The rest of the Glee club members were staring at her like she had grown antlers. I heard a slight cough behind me and turned to look at the source of it. Brittany was glaring in my direction, and her blue eyes were sparkling with what seemed like anger. Her arms were crossed, one leg over the other, and she slouched into her seat at the back of the group.

"Quinn, what the hell did you do to Santana!?" Kurt gasped.

"What do you mean?" I shot him a confused look.

"You're the only girl that Santana hasn't called 'sexy' or 'hot,'" Kurt explained. Santana shot him a glare.

"Really?" I turned to face the brunette, who was blushing ever so slightly.

Santana went even redder and inclined her head downward, half a nod.

"I think that's really sweet," I cooed, giving her nose a kiss. Under the bright stars, Santana seemed to glow even more.

"Really?" she asked shyly, squeezing my hand.

"Really." I squeezed back.

* * *

Rachel was in the middle of some ballad that I did not know, nor did I really care because I was focusing on the warmth of Santana's body pressing against my side. Her head lay on my shoulder and occasionally she would turn her head to whisper something sweet in my ear and kiss my earlobe tenderly. My mind was floating so high on Cloud 9 that I barely even noticed Rachel fighting with Puck for another turn to sing, or Sam coming up to do some impersonations to kill time, and finally Puck giving up and calling it a night. But neither Santana nor I moved, not that we wanted to, both wrapped in our own little bubble.

"Ey, love birds!" Puck called out, waving a hand in front of our faces. "Karaoke night's done, you coming or what?"

Santana looked annoyed, but pulled me up, and we followed the rest of the Glee club heading out.

"Hey, could ya take some chairs, or something?" He yelled again.

"No!" Santana shouted back. "Hey, Trouty Mouth! Go help Puck with the chairs!" Sam grumbled, but dragged Finn along to help him. The rest of the group continued to trudge back toward the cabins. I noticed Brittany talking quietly to Artie as she pushed his wheelchair over the thick gravel, sometimes glancing back at Santana and me with an unreadable expression.

The night was growing colder. It was still light out, with a few hours until curfew, and most of the kids were wandering off with their own little groups. I heard Blaine mumble something about the 24-hour pizza and ice cream bar, and most of Glee club followed him towards the cafeteria, whooping for joy.

"So…" Santana began, lazily swinging our hands back and forth. She watched the Glee kids run for their pizza and ice cream, but she made no move to join them. Her mind was in a different place.

"So…"

"Do you wanna maybe like, I don't know, take a walk or something?" Santana asked nervously. I smiled at her adorableness.

"Sure."

Santana beamed and steered me to the right, leading me into the forest.

"Uh, you know where we're going, right?" I asked uneasily, looking around me. The trees towered over the two of us, their leaves connecting across the indigo sky. Moonlight and stars poked through the holes of the canopy, lighting up a narrow, beat-up path in front of us. I could hear owls and critters rolling around on the dusty ground, and the soft _pith-path_ of our shoes sounding like drumbeats in my ears.

"Of course I do," Santana rolled her eyes. "I would never let you wander off into some dark, creepy forest without a proper guide!"

"And you're the proper guide?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yep! Know this forest like the back of my heart," Santana said proudly.

"It's 'hand,' not heart," I smirked.

"Whatever, ok?"

"Ok," I smirked again.

* * *

I had absolutely no idea where we were heading, whether it was farther or closer away from the camp or not. The trees seemed to cave in around me, trapping me from the outside world. Santana and I had been walking for quite some time now, and my feet were beginning to ache. I would jump at the slightest sound, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure that Santana could hear it. But then I would remember the warmth of Santana's hand in mine, and she would squeeze mine ever so slightly, and it would give me the courage to continue forward. Walking through a deep, dark forest at night was not my favorite thing in the world, but I didn't care; Santana was there with me, and that was all that mattered.

"Are you ok?" Santana asked quietly, trying not to disrupt the eeriness of the forest. We had been talking randomly, just enjoying each other's company, but I still felt a little jumpy and nervous. Her thumb began to trace invisible figures on my hand, and I immediately relaxed.

"Yeah," I muttered breathlessly, my eyes darting from tree to tree.

"You sure?" She looked worried, and if I weren't so scared, I would've kissed her for being so cute.

"I'm sure."

"You don't sound like it."

"I'm sure," I repeated.

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't like forests?" Santana tilted her head, looking slightly guilty. It made me feel sad. "I wouldn't have made you come."

"I like forests. Just not at night. Not when it's so dark outside. But I just wanted to spend some alone time with you," I cooed.

"You didn't have to," Santana said, but I saw slight smile beginning to grow on her face.

"But I wanted to," I reassured her. "Don't worry, you being here makes up for all of it. I wouldn't trade this for the world."

Santana smiled shyly, stopping and turning to face me. She held both of my hands and leaned up to give me a deep kiss. I momentarily forgot about the darkening night around us, and instead I moved my hands to her waist, drawing her closer to me as she tangled her hands in my hair. Her tongue licked my bottom lip, and I gasped, feeling it slide slowly into my mouth. She moaned as our tongues came into contact, warm, wet, slick. I felt her breasts rubbing against mine, our mingled breaths escaping into the forest air, when all of a sudden-

_GRRRR!_

We jumped apart, looking around us. I was still breathing heavily, my heart racing, but my eyes were wide and my ears were alert.

"I thought you said this forest was safe?" I looked to Santana, panicking.

"It is! I swear!" She looked around frantically, too. "There's not a single creature that could harm you here, no, especially not in Lima…" And then it came again.

_GRRRR!_

It sounded even closer now, almost right behind us. We both jumped again, I screamed slightly, and Santana grabbed my hand.

"Run!" she yelled and dragged me in the opposite direction of where we came from. She pulled me across the trail, letting the moon lead her. I did my best not to trip over any fallen branches, trying to keep my balance steady and while grabbing onto Santana for dear life. Trees rushed by me, wind howling in my ears. We were running and running and running, and everything was a blur around me, and I couldn't see anything except for Santana's hair bouncing heavily on her shoulders, and I couldn't hear anything but the sound of Santana's heavy breathing, her shoes slapping the dirt, and her hand squeezing mine for dear life.

Time seemed to drag on forever as Santana led me out of the forest. When we finally escaped, the moonlight bursting into our view, the trees wrinkling behind us, and we didn't stop running till we were in the safety of our own room. Santana plopped down onto her bed, which was closest to the door, and I followed her, half my body draped across hers. It was quiet except for the sound of our heavy breathing, our dangerously panting for air. My hand found hers and my eyes, like magnets, were immediately drawn to her own glowing orbs.

With her face flushed, her chest rising up and down, chocolate brown eyes twinkling against the neon-green blanket, I thought she had never looked so beautiful till now.

And then Santana cracked a smile and we just started laughing. I had no idea why, but the sound of Santana's laugh was addicting, and we laughed until we were choking on our own breath again.

"That was fun," Santana said in between gasps for air.

"Yeah, until we got attacked by some wild animal," I deadpanned.

"Sorry about that," Santana laughed again.

"It's cool."

"I won't make you go into the forest again." I could hear the hint of guilt in Santana's voice.

"No, it's okay, really," I reassured her.

"No it's not. I feel bad for scaring you like that."

"Seriously, it's cool. It was just nice hanging with you without all the other Glee club members," I said earnestly.

"Aw, you're sweet," Santana laughed, shifting across the bed so she could lightly kiss my nose.

"I try," I giggled. A few silent moments passed as we just enjoyed being so close to each other.

"It wasn't an animal, though," Santana said suddenly, her voice very serious.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I go to the forest every time I come here for camp, and the worst I've even seen was an owl, and I doubt owls go 'Grrr,' if you know what I mean."

"Oh really now? And here I was thinking owls went 'Moo.' Silly me!" I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"No, babe, they go 'Oink!' Duh!" Santana laughed, playing along. And then she stopped abruptly, her eyes wide.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"I-um…I, uh…" The words that tumbled out of Santana's mouth were incoherent and confusing. Her face was blushing, and she wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Are you always this articulate?" I smirked. "Was it the 'babe?' Because I liked it; I liked it a lot."

Relief spread across Santana's face, and she immediately relaxed.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," I smiled, kissing her hard on the mouth to prove my point.

* * *

The banging of the cabin door interrupted our little make out session. We both sat up on the bed, hair disheveled and lips plump and swollen. Our other cabinmates were rapidly chatting about something, and we heard the sound of feet scruffing on the front mat and the TV starting. I sighed.

"Come on, let's go," I held out my hand as I jumped off the bed. Santana pouted.

"Do we have to go out?" she whined. "Why can't we just stay here some more?" She took my hand and pulled me back on the bed, kissing my hair, my cheek, my jawbone. I shuddered under her touch. I wanted to give in so badly.

"Santana-"

"I like having you all to myself," she whispered into my ear, her voice dripping with seduction. I moaned as she licked my earlobe. I could feel my center tingling.

But the sound of the other girls snorting loudly ruined the mood. It was loud and distracting and did not go well with the sexy mood we were in. Santana felt it, too, groaned, and hopped off the bed, pouting. She looked so adorable.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I'll make it up to you," I said, kissing her plump, pouty lips.

"Yeah, well it better be wanky," Santana winked, and then tangled our tongues together. When she broke away, she took note of my flushed face, laughed, and headed out to the main room of the cabin.

That girl, I swear.

* * *

It was way past curfew by the time all the girls had gone to bed. Santana and I were the last ones to use the bathroom, and when we reached our room, I climbed into her bed without even asking. Santana smirked, climbed in next to me, and snuggled into the crook of my neck, her hot breath tickling me. I wrapped my arms around her and listened to the sound of her even breathing.

"Turn around, Q," Santana sighed. I frowned.

"Why?"

"So I can spoon you," Santana rolled her eyes.

"Um, what? No, I'm spooning you."

"No, I'm always the spooner."

"Well now you can be spooned," I tried to turn her around but she wouldn't budge. "Aw, come on, San! I'm taller than you!"

"Yeah, by like an inch! Let me spoon you. Please?" Santana pouted and gave me her puppy dog eyes. I felt my heart swooning and sighed.

"Ok, fine, then," I huffed and turned around, annoyed that she had such an effect on me.

"Aw, don't be mad at me, Q," Santana pleaded as she wrapped her strong, toned arms around my waist.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are, I can hear it. Come on, Q, you know you love me spooning you." Even though my back was to her, I could already see Santana smirking.

"Hmph," I huffed.

"Aw." Santana scooted closer to me, holding me more tightly. She brought her lips to the nape of my neck, and lightly brushed them across my hairline, I shivered. She then kissed the very center of my neck gently before whispering into my ear, "You're so cute when you're mad. You have no idea what you're doing to me."

Santana snuggled into me, and after a few moments, her breathing evened out. I was still a little mad that I didn't get to spoon her, but I laid my hand on top of hers, which was resting against my stomach,

"You have no idea what you're doing to me, either," I whispered into the night air. The feeling of her body so close to mine was heaven. I was falling so hard and so fast for Santana, and yet I didn't care. She was my nicotine, my drug, and I couldn't get enough of her and her bronze skin and flowy hair. The way the corner of her mouth peaked up when she smirked or the sensation of her lips on mine was absolutely magical. I never wanted this to end.

For the first time in awhile, I fell asleep with a smile on my face, with Santana's legs tangled in between mine, her nose brushing against my neck, and the moonlight was splashed across my face, and I dreamt of butterflies and rainbows and unicorns and all things Santana.

* * *

The morning after, Santana and I strolled into the cafeteria hand-in-hand. It seemed like everyone was either staring at us or whispering about us behind our backs, and it made me uncomfortable. But Santana kept her head held high, glaring at the kids, who quickly shut up and turned around under her dangerous stare. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Just ignore those idiots," she told me.

I tried to, but I still couldn't help but squirm under the gaze of so many eyes. I had already told myself that I was just gay for Santana, but my inner Lucy was recognizing this kind of attention. The kind of bad attention that no one wants to receive. But I reminded myself that I was Quinn Fabray, HBIC, and besides, no one here actually knew me.

Fortunately, the shock seemed to have worn off for the Glee club members, because no one seemed to pay us any attention as we sat down next to each other, our hands still interlocked. Well, except for Brittany. She was sitting at the end of the table, next to Artie, and I saw her giving me a look out of the corner of my eye. But just as quickly as it happened, it disappeared, and Brittany continued her talk with Artie, smiling and laughing. I decided not to dwell on it too much, and returned to the conversation at hand.

"Ok, yo, Miley Cyrus is not going crazy, man," Puck was saying as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. Almost as one, the group turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Um, what? No, that girl's definitely a lunatic," Mercedes said. Blaine nodded in agreement.

"She's one crazy bitch," Kurt pointed out.

"I, for one, believe she is only suffering from the consequences of being a celebrity, that she has all this pressure on her, especially because she was a child star," Rachel spoke quickly before anyone could interrupt her. Finn smiled, but Puck gave her a weird look.

"Well, at least she's fucking hot," he tried.

"Yeah, the whole short-hair thing does look good on her…." Sam tilted his head thoughtfully. Santana scoffed.

"Ugh, whatever, Trouty Mouth. I agree with my homegirl Wheezy, she's a lunatic fosho." Santana high fived Mercedes across the table, and the mini-debate was settled. Soon the subject of conversation changed to Project SmARTs.

"Dude, my cabin leader is so cool," Finn started. "He let us guys have a Nerf war in our cabin."

"Aren't you a little old for that?" Sam smirked.

"So? It was still cool."

"Yeah, well my cabin leader lets us stay up till whenever we want," Kurt pointed out.

"Ooo, what a badass," Puck deadpanned, rolling his eyes. Kurt looked slightly disappointed, but Blaine patted his hand gently, and Kurt perked up right away. They shared a smile, and it was all sorts of cutesy, which made my heart want to melt. I wondered if Santana and I looked like that, or if we were just two hot lesbians hooking up. Puck would definitely think that.

Santana had dropped my hand so that we could both eat our breakfast, but as I caught her gaze, she gave me a small smile, and just that that made me fall even farther and harder. I noticed Brittany eyeing us weirdly, which immediately wiped the smile off my face.

"Hey guys, I heard there's this new class opening up about critiquing," Tina stated.

"Critiquing?" Artie asked.

"Yeah, like being a critic of the movies. All you do is sit around in that class, watch hella movies, and bitch about what you didn't like about them. You guys should definitely do it for your second class," Tina smiled eagerly.

"Dude, that sounds awesome! It's basically a free period! I'm going, anyone else?" Puck looked around. Artie nodded and they shared an air-fist bump.

"I think I wanna try that pogo-stick jumping one," Blaine considered thoughtfully. Santana almost choked on her cereal from laughing too hard.

"Ha! You? On a pogo stick? Ha!" she pointed at Blaine and doubled over. I giggled at how cute she looked.

"Hey! Excuse me, but Blaine on a pogo-stick would be hella hot!" Kurt shot back.

"Well, actually-" Rachel started, but was immediately cut off by Santana.

"Hella hot? Why? Cuz he's riding a stick? Bet you wish it was yours! HA!" Santana threw her head back and laughed at her own dirty joke. Mercedes snorted, too, and gave Santana another high five. Kurt just blushed and immediately shut up.

"Okay, Santana, that was excessively vulgar, especially at a setting such as this one. I mean, we are in the process of eating and digesting our food, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, Hobbit. Ok, we get it." Santana waved it off, still laughing from her own hilariousness. The bell quickly rang and everyone dispersed to their own classroom. Santana took my hand and made a big deal out of kissing me before we entered the classroom, her hands wandering all over my back and towards my ass. I yelped when she squeezed it and she smirked.

"You forgot about that wanky makeout session that you need to make up," she husked into my ear. I gulped, feeling my insides turn to jello at the sound of her raspy voice. I was still in a daze when we entered the classroom, my face flushed and my heart beating rapidly.

What was this perfect goddess doing to me?

* * *

Class that day was the same. We got about an hour to finish our own artwork, and then Gigi taught us this archaic Renaissance painting technique called chiaroscuro, where the concepts of light and shading were used to create real-life looking art. It was nothing new to me, until Gigi took out some classic Renaissance art and began pointing out the characteristics of it. Until now, I had never realized how symmetrical and proportional these famous pieces were. Everything was purely mathematical, right down to the angle of a man's arm and the direction he was facing. Gigi also showed us how to incorporate human emotions into our drawings, as well as blend Renaissance ideas with modern ones.

"Class, today we'll be starting our main project, the one you will be using for the competition at the end of the week," Gigi paused for emphasis. "This year, things will be a little different. There are requirements now."

The whole class groaned in unison.

"Yes, I know it sucks, and I'm sorry, but believe me, it's just too hard to judge different pieces of artwork when they aren't even related to each other at all. It's like trying to compare an apple and an orange." Gigi turned to write the requirements down on the white board.

"You're probably wondering why today's lesson was about the Renaissance. Well, that's because this year, the theme for your artwork is the Renaissance."

"What?!" someone called out from the back row. "That's just bull!" A couple of mumbled agreements sounded out. Gigi continued as if nothing had happened.

"Your piece of artwork may be a drawing or a painting, and it must be on a large sheet of paper or a canvas, larger than printer paper, but smaller than a poster, please. You may use whatever materials you like, but they must be art utensils! Which means you can't glue actual leaves onto the paper to make it look like there are actual leaves. This is an arts class, not an arts and crafts class. You have to draw or paint them." Gigi looked specifically at some of the lazier kids in the class.

The whole class chuckled.

"Wait, has someone actually done that before?" Kurt asked out loud.

"Yep, when I was an art major in college, one kid in my class procrastinated on his art project and didn't have time to draw the leaves. So he went outside his dorm room, gathered as many tiny leaves as he could, and literally glued them to the paper. I still have no idea how he got into college," Gigi laughed. "So, yeah. Don't do that. I never saw that kid again."

The class was in disbelief, and it took a few moments for it to calm down enough for Gigi to resume speaking.

"Now, you may be wondering, 'What the hell am I gonna draw?!' Well, I talked to the person who made up these rules, and she told me that you can draw anything you want, as long as it has some obvious Renaissance elements in it. For example: 3-D, chiaroscuro, human emotions, proportionality, symmetry, human worth and individualism, Greek and Roman classics, all that good stuff. There should definitely be a person in your artwork, and it should look realistic!" Gigi looked around the classroom. "Any questions?"

The entire class suffered through a few moments of silent awkwardness.

"Ok then, you have the rest of the 30 minutes to brainstorm. Think hard about this! This will be the project you'll be using in the Project SmARTs competition. So if you do well, you could earn yourself a scholarship." The promise of winning and money sent the class into a frenzy, and everyone began talking at once. Santana immediately pushed her desk against mine, and I noticed she looked a little down.

"Why so glum, chum?" I asked, reaching out for her hand.

"Oh, it's nothing," Santana waved it off.

"No, I'm sure it's something. It's obviously bothering you."

"Seriously, it's nothing. Kinda embarrassing actually," Santana trailed off at the end, looking down at her shirt.

"Aw, I wanna know! Please! I promise you I won't make fun of you. Please?" I gave her my own puppy dog eyes. Santana bit her lip, which was extra sexy, eyed my pouted lips, and then sighed.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes.

"Yay!" I clapped my hands together and smiled. She smiled back, but quickly looked down at her own desk.

"I um…I…really don't like this Renaissance theme because I um…well…Ikindawantedtodrawyou," Santana mumbled the last bit, turning bright red.

"What was that?" I asked sweetly, leaning forward to I could hear better.

"I err, I kinda wanted to draw you, you know…as my art for the competition," Santana breathed out, slightly louder this time. Her words hit me like a brick wall and I was immediately taken aback. I had definitely not expected those words, and I was so flattered I was in shock. I couldn't even speak; all my feelings were a mess.

"I mean, because you're so pretty and all…actually…no, you're beautiful, you're so beautiful, and I was thinking….well I just wanted to draw you, and um…" Santana eyed my open mouth and wide eyes warily. She noticed how quiet I had become and silently started sweating nervously. "I mean, I don't have to - it was just a thought, I-"

"No," I said, cutting off her adorable rambling. I placed my hand on top of hers, which was cold and clammy. Looking deep into her cocoa brown eyes, I felt suddenly shy. "I love that idea. That's so sweet of you, Santana. Thank you." Taking a quick look around the classroom, I gave her a sweet chaste kiss to seal my words.

Santana immediately relaxed. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You really think I'm beautiful?" I asked shyly, glancing at her through my lashes. Santana nodded.

"Definitely. With all my heart."

"I think you're beautiful, too." I brought her hand to my lips and gave her knuckles a kiss. She beamed and her eyes lit up.

"Thank you. I'm just sad I won't be able to draw you cuz of that stupid Renaissance theme," Santana pouted. Oh God, her pout was going to be the death of me.

"You can still draw me, you know," I suggested. "I mean, like, you can do a parody of the _ Mona Lisa_ or something. Like a modern version, with me in it. I don't know." I laughed at the absurd thought.

Santana's ears perked up and she sat straighter in her seat. "Ohmigod, Quinn, that's perfect! Gosh, that's pure genius! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She wrapped me in a giant hug, smelling strongly of vanilla bean. I laughed and held on to her tightly.

"There's no need to thank me," I said earnestly.

"Yes there is. Because I'm gonna win the competition by a landslide because your face is so beautiful the judges won't have a choice." I blushed at her words, my heart swooning inside of me. God, I loved how confident she sounded.

"You're amazing, Quinn." Santana whispered into my ear.

"No, San, _you're_ amazing," I whispered back.

Around us, the light scratches of pencil against paper became mere background noises as Santana and I became lost in our own little bubble.

* * *

"San! San! Where were you at dance today?" Brittany came rushing forward, pouting. The second class of the day had just finished, and everyone was heading to their cabins to get ready for dinner.

"Sorry, Britt-Britt. I went with Quinn to this Fashion class. We got to design our own clothes, which was hella fun. And which, you, babe, are amazing at," Santana turned to me, gushing. I blushed and she kissed me on the cheek, which didn't go unnoticed by Brittany, who was watching with careful eyes.

"Thanks, babe, you're not quite bad yourself," I replied, winking, and Santana beamed. Brittany's face turned more stony, but she quickly coughed and covered it with a forced smile.

"Well, maybe you can come with me tomorrow?" Brittany pouted. Santana looked stuck and uncomfortable, and she turned to me for help. I just shrugged my shoulders, because I was selfish and wanted Santana all to myself, but I knew that Brittany was her best friend, and I didn't want to come in between them.

"Um…we'll see, Britt, we'll see," Santana said awkwardly, grabbing hold of my hand for support. I squeezed her thin fingers and she squeezed back. Brittany didn't look completely satisfied, but she nodded and fake smiled at me. I caught her staring at our interlocked hands.

"Ok, Britt, um, we're gonna go," Santana pointed in the direction of our cabin.

"Um, actually, can I talk to you, Quinn? Privately?" I looked at Santana, confused, but she only shrugged. Why on Earth would Brittany of all people want to talk to me?

Santana stood on her tippy-toes to give me a kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you later, babe," she winked and then leaned in closer until her mouth was brushing against my ear. "We still have those wanky times to make up." I almost choked on my breath at her words, and she laughed quietly, then turned and strutted away. Oh God, those hips…

"Quinn." The calling of my name snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized I had been checking Santana out. I shook my head, smiling stupidly to myself, but as I looked at Brittany's face, my smile faded.

"Um, yes?"

Brittany walked closer to me, an odd, almost-angry look on her face. It was weird seeing her look so mad, especially because she seemed so happy and buoyant and the time.

"Stay away from my girl," Brittany said in a dangerously low voice. I coughed.

"Sorry, what? Your girl?"

"Yeah, my girl Santana. Stay away from her, or I'll have my ducks eat you."

"Um…what? Ok, how is Santana your girl?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Did Santana tell you we were just best friends?" Brittany asked. I nodded. I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Well, she lied," Brittany said. "We were more than best friends."

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"I mean, we dated all of junior year. I was her first love," Brittany paused to let the words sink in. "And we just broke up a few weeks ago, but I know Santana is still in love with me."

I was too shocked to reply. I knew something was going on between Santana and Brittany. I knew it. I should've listened to my instincts. Now, all these insecurities and uncertainties came rushing back to me, and I felt myself growing angrier and angrier.

Brittany continued, "She's just using you to make me jealous. I see it now. And yeah, it worked, so you can back off because I'm going to get my girl back."

"Wh-Wh-Santana would never do that!" I cried out in desperation, feeling tears rush down my face. Was all of this fake? Was it all a lie?

"How do you know? You barely know Santana. How do you know you weren't just her rebound?" Brittany asked accusingly.

"I….I…." But I was at a lost for words. I was still in shock.

"Exactly. So excuse me while I go get my girl." And with that, Brittany headed toward Cabin 3, where Santana was waiting.

My brain had stopped working, and my heart felt like it had been plunged in cold ice. The tears rushing down my face blurred my vision, and I could feel huge sobs racking up and down my body. _It was all a lie; all of it was fake. Santana never really cared for me. I shouldn't have been so stupid. Of course she didn't like me. God, why did I have to fall for her so hard? She lied…she lied…she said…_

Crying and wandering and tripping and stumbling, I felt lost and out of place. I should've known this wouldn't last. I was just Santana's Spring Fling and when camp was over, I'd go back to Iowa and she'd forget about me and go back to _Brittany_.

Why? Why did I have to be so stupid? Why did I have to listen to my fucking heart? All it did was tear me down and make me more vulnerable than before. I felt fucking weak. I was such a failure.

Maybe I should've run after Brittany, run back to Santana and try to win her over. Maybe I should've professed my love for Santana. Maybe if I hadn't been so weak and pathetic, and Santana would love me back.

But it was too late for that. Brittany was already in the cabin, and Santana had probably already forgotten about me.

The sun was dipping under the horizon as I wandered aimlessly into the forest, my tears leaving a fresh trail behind me.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait! School has been overwhelming...but I just wanted to say thank you to all my readers out there! You guys are seriously the best! Feel free to leave a review or PM me with questions, comments, predictions, etc! Thanks guys!(:**


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